


The Cowboy Way

by Anonymous189



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Horses, Humor, Love, Modern, Romance, Tobias - Freeform, cowboy, fourtris - Freeform, ranch, rodeo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-03 08:43:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 75,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8705545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous189/pseuds/Anonymous189
Summary: Tris just graduated college and is taking the summer off. She is spending it on her grandparent's ranch, Dauntless. Four is the ranch hand who is trying to figure out this "city" girl who has now been dumped in his lap.Fluffy/romantic FourTrisModern Day/AURated M/MA (language/sexual content). Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Veronica Roth's "Divergent" or to any business, places, etc. that are referenced in this story.Please only read if you're of an appropriate age. Story contains content for mature audiences only due to explicit language and sexual content.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on FanFiction. You can find it at www.fanfiction.net/s/12130280/1/The-Cowboy-Way.  
> It's also on Wattpad at https://www.wattpad.com/story/91705548-the-cowboy-way.

**-Tris POV-**

That’s it.  I'm finally packed and ready to go.  After dropping that last box into the back of my pickup truck, I walk back to my dorm.  Looking at my empty dorm room, I realize it looks barren, dull, lifeless when in fact so much of my life happened here.

 

Well, as they say, I'm burning daylight.  I turn around and close the door.  I had already gassed up my truck and bought snacks.  All I need to do was turn in my room key and sign out.  After doing that, I got in my truck and started it up.  College might be over for now, but I wasn't ready to jump right into a job.  Luckily I had saved enough money to be able to take the summer off.

 

My grandparents own a small ranch less than two hours away.  They raise horses and cows.  I plan on spending the summer with them.  While I see them quite often, I haven't been to the ranch in years.  I love it there.

 

My grandparents are getting up there in age and all of the work required to maintain the house and ranch is too much for them.  I know that they have one ranch hand, but my grandpa recently broke his hip.  He has been on bed rest which really puts too much of a load on my grandma.  I just graduated with my bachelors in nursing.  I figured that I can help them out over the summer by either taking care of my grandpa or just helping around the place.

 

Before I hit the road, I plug my phone in my truck radio and find the playlist I want.  Hitting play, I put the truck in drive.

 

About an hour and a half later, I pull up to my grandparent's house.  I don't see my grandma's car around, but don't worry about it.  She knows I'd be here today.  Last time we met up she gave me a house key so I know I can get in.  As I jump out of the truck, a guy walks up to me.  I guess he had been out near the barns since I didn't notice him when I pulled up. 

 

As he gets closer, I start to appreciate the view.  He is tall and lean, but very muscular.  His wide shoulders taper down to much narrower hips.  Dirty jeans hug his hips and hang down to his well-worn boots.  He has dark brown hair under a dusty western hat.  His long sleeve shirt is tucked in and has the sleeves rolled up showing his tanned skin.  He has a chiseled jaw with a strong five o'clock shadow and about the most handsome face that I have ever seen.  It isn't until he gets much closer to me that I realize how deep blue his eyes are.

 

He stops a couple of feet away from me and asks, "Can I help you?"

 

While I want to tell him all of the ways that he could help me, I shake off those thoughts and bring my mind out of the gutter.  "Nope," I tell him.

 

He looks me up and down before saying, "Well Sally isn't here.  So is there anything that I can help you with?"

 

"She told me she might be gone.  I'll just wait for her in the house and check on Jack."

 

This gets the guy's attention.  At my grandfather's name, he stands straighter.  "Since I don't know you and Sally didn't mention anyone stopping by, I don't feel comfortable letting you into the house."  He pauses and then adds, "I'm Four.  I work for Jack and Sally."

 

"Oh, right.  She mentioned you to me.  Said that you were helping them out a bunch especially after the broken hip incident."  As an afterthought I add, "I'm Tris and I don't need you to let me in.  I have a key."

 

This makes Four really straighten up and a look of confusion crosses his face.  "Um, well, okay.  Are you sure there isn't anything I can help with?"

 

I smile and say, "Nope."

 

As I start walking toward the house I hear the bushes shake and then hear the fast padding of paws racing toward me.  I hear Four yell, "Rusty, no!" as he runs to get in between me and the quickly approaching dog.

 

Rusty doesn't even slow down as he dodges around Four, straight up to me.  He slides to a stop in front of me and jumps up, putting his paws on my waist.  I quickly reach over and start scratching him behind his ear.  I then tell him he is a good dog and push him off me.  With a final pat on the head, I turn and continue to walk toward the house.  I then hear Four ask, "How do you know that dog?  And how does that dog like you?  He hates everyone?"

 

I laugh and answer him while looking over my shoulder, "I've known him since he was a pup."  With that I unlock the front door and walk into the house leaving a confused Four scratching his head while looking down at the dog.  I laugh again and wonder why I didn't just tell him that Sally and Jack are my grandparents.  Maybe because it's more fun this way.

 

**-Four POV-**

I see a pickup truck pull up in front of the house so I stop what I'm working on and head in that direction.  As I attempt to dust myself off, I see a young woman get out of the truck.  She doesn't look lost.  In fact she seems calm and happy to be here.  This place is off of the beaten path, but we still occasionally get lost people wondering where they are.

 

As I get closer, I see that she is short, but compact.  I can tell that she has a lot of muscle hidden on her small frame.  Her hair is light blond and hits about halfway down her back.  She is wearing worn blue jeans, a sleeveless button up shirt, and sneakers.  I'm surprised by how attractive she is and surprised again by the fact that this has been brought to the forefront of my mind.  I don't usually pay attention to what women look like, but she just seems to draw my eyes to her.

 

Once I'm within a couple of feet of her I ask her, "Can I help you?"

 

She looks up at me and I see her clear, gray-blue eyes.  "Nope," she answers.

 

I look her over again, trying to figure out if I have ever seen her before.  I know that I would have remembered her so she hasn't been out here before.  "Well Sally isn't here.  So is there anything that I can help you with?" I probe again.

 

I'm surprised when she says, "She told me she might be gone.  I'll just wait for her in the house and check on Jack."  While all of the locals know Jack and know about his accident, she isn't a local.  I'm not going to let just anyone into the house, even if she knows Jack's name.  "Since I don't know you and Sally didn't mention anyone stopping by, I don't feel comfortable letting you into the house."  I then realize that I haven't introduced myself so add, "I'm Four.  I work for Jack and Sally."

 

She takes in this information then tells me, "Oh, right.  She mentioned you to me.  Said that you were helping them out a bunch especially after the broken hip incident."  Then as an afterthought adds, "I'm Tris and I don't need you to let me in.  I have a key."

 

Now I'm really confused.  I have worked for Jack and Sally for 5 years.  In that time I have never seen someone else with a key to their house.  I would still really like to know what this woman is doing here.  "Um, well, okay.  Are you sure there isn't anything I can help with?"

 

She smiles and says, "Nope."

 

She then starts walking toward the house.  After she has gone a couple of steps, the bushes shake I hear the sound of a quickly approaching dog.  Great!  Rusty!  That dog can be extremely mean.  The last thing I need is for him to run up and bite Tris.  I yell, "Rusty, no!" and race to get in between Tris and Rusty.

 

Rusty doesn't even slow down as he dodges around me and runs straight up to Tris.  I can't believe what I am now seeing.  Rusty slides to a stop in front Tris and jumps up, putting his paws on her waist.  She doesn't hesitate to reach over and start scratching him behind his ear.  She then tells Rusty he is a good dog and pushes him off her.  With a final pat on his head, she turns and continues to walk toward the house. 

 

I can't hold it in anymore so I ask, "How do you know that dog?  And how does that dog like you?  He hates everyone?"

 

She laughs and tells me, "I've known him since he was a pup." 

 

Rusty walks over to me and sits at my feet.  We both watch Tris unlock the back door and go in the house.  As she closes the door, I look at the dog and the dog looks at me.  _Who is this girl?_


	2. Formal Introductions

**-Four POV-**

About an hour later I see Sally's old Suburban coming down the driveway.  I walk out to meet her.  I always offer to help her bring her purchases into the house.  Today, though I have another purpose.  I want to know more about Tris.

 

I had been making sure to hang out and do small chores where I could see the house and Tris' truck.  While she seemed on the up and up, I wanted to make sure she wasn't up to no good.  It was the least that I could do for Sally and Jack.  Course I didn't admit it to myself, but I was also watching to see if she came out of the house again so I could talk with her some more.

 

Sally has already gotten out of her car, so I jog up to her.  I'm getting ready to ask if she needs help when she asks me, "Where's my granddaughter?  I see her truck."  Granddaughter?  Granddaughter!  _What the hell?_

 

I must look cold cocked because Sally chuckles and says, "She didn't tell you, huh?  She does like her tricks.  Reminds me a lot of myself at that age."

 

Sally walks to the back of the Suburban so I follow her.  She opens the back and we both start loading up with the groceries she bought.  She starts to turn toward the house and then stops and turns back to me.  "Tobias," she says.  "Don't sell yourself short.  You're a sweet, handsome young man.  If Tris is willing, and I'm going to bet that she will be, get to know her.  I'm going to leave it up to you to show her the ranch and how things work around here.  If you play your cards right, you might even get her on a horse."  At that she chuckles and turns back to walk into the house.

 

**-Tris POV-**

I'm sitting, talking to my grandpa, telling stories and getting the latest news from him when I hear the back door open and close.  I turn to see my grandma coming in with her hands full of groceries.  I jump up to help her and see Four right behind her.  I give him a smile and take the groceries from my grandma.  After her hands are free, I give her a great big hug.

 

She kisses my cheek and laughingly says, "So you snuck in without telling Four that you're my granddaughter?"

 

I smile again and say, "Yeah.  It didn't come up in conversation."  I can see Four shaking his head behind her.

 

"Well in that case," she says.  "We can talk over dinner.  Four you're staying for dinner tonight."  I can see him start to beg off so my grandma turns around and looks at him.  "I said you're staying for dinner."

 

He smiles and responds, "Yes, ma'am."

 

After that she shoos him out of the kitchen telling him to finish his work and to be back in the house by 6:00.  I silently chuckle when I see him quickly obey her.

 

After Four leaves she turns back to me.  "Starting off quick are you?"

 

"I don't know what you mean, Grandma."

 

"Yes you do, hon.  You could have told Four you were my granddaughter but instead you let him squirm.  I'm not complaining, mind you.  No one around here makes him squirm.  He needs someone to keep him on his toes."

 

I laugh at that and ask my grandma, "Don't you keep him on his toes?  It seemed that he jumped to do what you wanted just a minute ago."

 

She reaches over and pats my cheek.  "Sweetheart, doing things for an old lady is a lot different than paying attention to a pretty girl." 

 

This makes me blush and I try to change the subject by asking her. "What are we having for dinner?  Do you want me to help you cook?" 

 

She looks at me out of the corner of her eye with an 'I know what you are trying to do' look on her face, but she rolls with it.  "Spaghetti," she answers.  "You can start a pot of water going."

 

I jump up and down like I just heard the best thing in my life and say, "Yeah, I can heat water!" which causes my grandma to twist up a dish towel and aim at my butt.  I jump out of the way as the towel makes a sharp crack.  I hear terms like 'impertinent' and 'trouble maker' being mumbled under her breath.  This causes me to laugh as I grab the stock pot and begin filling it with water to boil spaghetti.

 

My grandma and I work quickly together to get dinner ready.  At about a quarter till six, Four comes in and uses the bathroom to wash up.  After he comes out, he asks if we need help to which we tell him no.  He then asks if he should set the table, but with my grandpa's broken hip, he can't sit at the kitchen table so we decide to eat in the living room.  This way he can be part of the conversation.

 

I quickly make a plate for my grandpa and tell Four that he can take it to him.  After that the rest of us dish up the great smelling dinner and head to the living room to sit down.  I'm a little nervous because I don't know what my grandma has in store for me.  Embarrassing me would be right up her alley.  Surprisingly, she doesn't do that.  Instead she explains to Four that I will be staying the summer to help out until my grandpa is back on his feet.  From there the conversation segues into what I was doing before I decided to stay the summer.  I explain to Four that I just graduated with my bachelors in nursing, but that I still need to take my NCLEX exam before I can be licensed as an RN.  I wanted to help out my grandparents and I figured that the ranch was a good place to finish studying for the exam and take a break before I join the working world.  My grandpa explains that Four takes care of the main workings of the ranch including training the horses.  We talk about other inconsequential things until everyone is done eating.

 

Four tries to help with the dishes, but my grandma chases him out, telling him to go home.  He laughs as he tells everyone goodnight.  We finish cleaning up quickly and then my grandma tells me that she will show me to my room.  "You don't need to show me.  I remember where it is, Grandma."

 

"No, sweetheart.  I don't want you to stay there.  Come on.  I'll show you."

 

I'm confused and curious so I follow her.  We exit the house and walk around the side.  Across the drive I see a small outbuilding with a patio.  My grandma begins walking toward this building.  She stops and opens the door, ushering me inside.  I turn on the lights and see a nicely furnished one bedroom apartment.  It's small, but efficient.  The living area and kitchen are all one room and I can see the doors to the bedroom and bathroom on the opposite wall.  I turn to look at my grandmother with a raised eyebrow in question.

 

"You'll stay here.  That way you can be relaxed and not feel like you are imposing on us."

 

"Grandma, I don't need all of this.  I can stay in the house."

 

"Nonsense.  I was your age once.  You might like to have friends over from time to time."

 

I blush a little at how she says 'friends.'  I mean I'm not a virgin, but hooking up while at my grandparents was the last thing on my mind.

 

My grandmother just looks at me and smiles.  "Child, I don't expect you to stop living your life while you are here.  You are an independent young woman.  This will give you your own space, but we are just across the drive."

 

I finally concede that she is right.  It would be nicer in this apartment than in the bedroom in the house.  I turn around and hug her.  "Thank you, Grandma."

 

She turns to leave but stops and tells me "I'll ask Four to help you unload your truck tomorrow."  She pauses and then waggles her eyebrows at me before stating "There is a separate parking area behind this building.  Cars parked there can't be seen by anyone in the house."

 

I quickly realize her innuendo and blush.  She just chuckles and leaves.  My mom would have given me a lecture about maintaining appearances and being responsible.  My grandmother on the other hand encourages me to bring guys back to my place.  I shake my head.  Sometimes I don't understand my family.

 

I walk around the apartment checking everything out.  The kitchen isn't big, but it has a sink, stove, microwave, and refrigerator.  I can see that my grandma fully stocked it with food too.  The living area has a couch, arm chair, and flat screen TV.  There is a small dining table with four chairs.  Even though it is one room with all of this, it doesn't feel cramped.  It's really nice and it doesn't seem like I will need to buy anything.  I head out to my truck to grab my overnight bag and a suitcase.  Once I'm back in the apartment I take a shower and head to bed.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

My alarm goes off at 5:30.  I groan and roll out of bed.  While I would love to sleep until noon, I need to get my run in and then unload my truck.  I dig through my suitcase for my running gear.  I find spandex leggings, a sports bra, and a tank top.  Digging a little more I finally find some socks.  Once I'm dressed, grab my phone and ear buds.  Looking through my music for good running music, I head out.  I know that the driveway is 2.5 miles long so running to the road and back will be just right.

 

**-Four POV-**

I just start throwing hay to feed the horses when I see Tris take off running down the driveway.  I glance at my watch and see that it is about a quarter till six.  I guess she takes her running seriously if she is out this early.  I watch her for a while and then get back to the horses.  Many were quick to raise a stink since some had been fed while they were still waiting for their breakfast, thank you very much.

 

I'm finishing up feeding when I notice Tris running back toward the house.  I look at my watch again and see that it's now about 6:20.  If she ran the whole length of the drive, she kept a quick pace.  I'm impressed.

 

After everyone had their food, I walk around and check each water tub and generally look over each horse.  I like to check them out at least once a day.  You can often tell if they aren't feeling well by looking them over when they eat.  All of the horses look good so I move on to my next morning chores.  I finish everything quickly and then remember that Sally asked me to help Tris unload her truck.

 

I head over to the apartment and stop dead when I see Tris on the porch.  Her back is to me and she is bent over, her legs spread about shoulder width apart, and her hands flat on the ground.  _God, does she have a nice body._ She isn't buxom but she has curves in all the right areas.  As I stand there, she pulls her feet together while keeping her hands flat.  Next she arches her back.  I continue to stand there, not believing what I am seeing.  Her spandex pants show her ass perfectly as well as her solid, trim legs.  I can feel my pants suddenly become way too tight.  _Oh, shit!_ That is not how I want her to see me!  Tris starts to stand up and without thinking about it, I tear my hat off my head and hold it in front of me.  Great now it's like high school again needing to hide my hard-ons!

 

Once Tris is standing, I clear my throat to let her know that I am here.  She jerks around, startled to see me. 

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

 

She blushes and says, "That's okay.  I guess it's my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings.  I was just trying to get some yoga in after my run.  What's up?"

 

My mind starts to wander back to her stretching when I realize that she is looking me expecting and answer.  I clear my throat and say, "Sally mentioned that I should help you unload your truck this morning."

 

"Oh, that's sweet, but I really don't need any help.  I loaded it all.  I can unload it."

 

"Well, I hate to go against what Sally wants, so why don't you pull your truck around and we can knock this out quickly."

 

She seems to think about this for a moment and then shrugs.  "I'll get my keys," she replies.  As she turns around and heads in the apartment.  I take a moment to gather myself.  _What the hell am I doing?_ Yeah, she's pretty, but if I don't straighten up I'm going to embarrass myself.  I'm still mentally berating myself when she comes back out.

 

She tells me that she will be right back and heads off towards her truck.  I sit on a chair on the porch and think about everything that has happened in the past day.  While it was interesting meeting Tris, nothing special has happened.  Why am I acting like a horny teenage boy around her?  This isn't me.  However, I find myself drawn to her even though we just met and I've known her for less than a day.

 

Tris backs her truck up to the porch and jumps out.  I walk forward, put my hat back on, and lower the tailgate.  I start to grab boxes and head into the apartment.  Once I'm inside, I realize that I don't know where to put the boxes.  "Tris, where do you want these?"

 

She comes up behind me and says, "Oh, just set them anywhere.  Except for my clothes, I really don't have anything important in any of them."

 

I glance around again and decide to stack the boxes along the back of the couch.  I then head back out to get more.  In less than 5 minutes, her truck is unloaded.  I should head straight back to work, but I don't want to.  I am trying to think of anything to drag out this encounter so I ask her, "What are you planning on doing today?"

 

"Oh, I was just going to get settled and talk to my grandparents.  I offered to help them out, but I'm not really sure what they need help with.  Grandma said you handle the ranch stuff, so I guess I will be helping her out in the house and yard."

 

"Well, once you're all settled, feel free to find me and I can give you a tour."

 

She smiles and says, "Thanks.  I'll probably take you up on that.  I haven't been here in years so things are probably not like I remember them."

 

"Okay, well I'll be off."  With that, I stand and start to leave.  As an afterthought, I turn and tell her, "Hey, I can give you my phone number.  That way if I am away from the main barn you can still get ahold of me."

 

Tris quickly says, "Sure," and hands me her phone.  I go to her contacts and add my number.  After I finish, I smile at her and leave.  As I walk back to the barn I try to reason with myself.  She may need to get ahold of me.  That's why I did that.  I mean Sally and Jack have my number, why not Tris?  It's not like I never give my number out.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I never give my number out.  Like five people have my number.  _What the hell am I doing?_


	3. Settling In and A Tour

**-Tris POV-**

After Four leaves, I close the door and decide to take a shower.  Afterwards I dress in comfortable jeans, a t-shirt, and my boots.  I walk outside to take in the morning.  Sipping my coffee, I look around.  I see Four working around the corrals.  My eyes seemed drawn to him.  As if he could feel my eyes on him, he glances up and looks at me.  When he sees me, he gives a quick wave and goes back to work.  I know I should look away.  It is rude to stare, but I enjoy watching him.  Finally I shake it off and go back into the apartment.  After a quick breakfast, I wander over to the house.  Might as well figure out how I can help my grandparents.

 

I walk into the house and see my grandma puttering in the kitchen.  I go up to her and say, "Good morning," as I give her a hug.

 

"Good morning, sweetheart.  Can I get you something to eat?"

 

I shake my head no and tell her, "I already ate.  You completely stocked that apartment with food.  I'll be hard pressed to eat it before it spoils.  Anyway, I'm unloaded and settled in.  How can I help you?  That is the reason that I am here."

 

My grandma grins and says, "I hope you are also here to spend time with us.  We don't see you enough."

 

"Of course, Grandma.  But, really, what should I plan on doing around here to help you out?"

 

My grandma grabs her coffee mug and indicates that I should get a cup too, then walks to the kitchen table.  After we are both sitting down, she begins, "Well, with your grandfather laid up, it just takes more time to do things.  I don't want to ignore him all day, so I make a point of chatting with him or just being close as much as possible.  This means that I have been neglecting the yard and garden.  I'll probably let you take charge of them over the summer.  I'll also let you make some of the trips into town.  When I leave the house, it would be great if you can plan on being in the house so that if your grandfather needs anything you're here to help."

 

"I can do all that.  Can you show me around the yard and garden so I know what you want me to take care of?"

 

"Of course.  I'll go tell Jack we're heading outside."

 

"No, Grandma.  I'll tell him.  That way I can tell him good morning too."

 

I take a couple of minutes to go tell my grandpa good morning and chat with him for a bit.  My grandma and I then head outside.  We walk around the yard.  She points out different plantings and areas of concern.  We then head into the garden.  My grandma is usually an avid vegetable gardener.  It seems weird to not see her raised beds overflowing with plants.  We talk about what is planted and what can yet be planted this summer.  Overall we take a couple of hours to just talk and discuss all of the things around the house.  By the time we're done it's lunchtime.  We both head into the house and decide on grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.  After lunch she shows me where all of her seeds are stored and I tell her that I am going to start working in the garden.

 

I spend the afternoon in the garden.  I get old plants pulled out and new seeds put in.  As I'm starting to clean up my tools, I hear a noise behind me.  I turn around and see Four leaning against the garden fence.  "So are you getting everything ship shape again?"

 

"Yeah.  I know it weighs on my grandma not to have her fresh veggies from the garden."

 

Four looks around as I gather everything up and haul it over to the little shed over to the side of the garden.  "If you're done, I can give you a tour of the barns and stuff."

 

I look at him and say, "Sure.  That works.  Just let me go in the house and wash up first."

 

I walk into the house, wash my hands, and grab two bottles of water.  I walk back outside.  Four is waiting just outside the door and I hand him one of the bottles of water.  "Thanks," he says as he opens the bottle, drinking about half of it at one time.

 

We start to walk toward the barns and Four tells me about the layout of the place.  Some of this I already know, but I let him continue.  Four explains that there are four pastures that connect up with the pens and barns:  northern, western, upper, and lower.  There are two more pastures that can only be accessed from other pastures; they are known as the outer pastures.  Four continues to explain that the cattle are kept out on these outer pastures for as much of the year as possible.  He rides out and checks on them twice a week.  The cattle are brought in when the graze is gone and they need to be given hay.  Hopefully by then the steers are large enough to sell at market.

 

As Four goes on, he states that the horses are kept on the four inner pastures or in some of the pens adjacent to the barns.  Broodmares are currently kept in the lower pasture.  Four tells me that this is the flattest pasture which lowers the chance of foals and mares being injured.  The northern and upper pastures both have topographic extremes and have some very rocky areas.  Usually only the yearlings and young, agile horses are run in those pastures.  Lastly, he tells me that the western pasture is somewhat a mix of the others.  It's not extreme, but not flat.

 

His explanation of the different pastures gets me thinking about the horses and their possibility of injury.  I ask him, "Why do you run horses in pastures where you know they might get hurt?"

 

He stops walking and looks out over the horses and one of the pastures in question.  "If a kid is never given the chance to run and play, they won't skin their knee but they won't know what they are capable of either.  Putting the young horses out on these pastures teaches them what they can do.  We are raising working horses.  They need to be able to work cattle over rough terrain.  Therefore, you want them to have seen this terrain before you are in middle of nowhere trying to herd cattle.  You want your horse to already have an idea of how to get through the terrain so that their head can stay on their job."

 

I nod as I think about this.  I can see the rationale behind it.

 

Four glances at me to see if I understand his explanation.  He must see that I do because he starts walking again.  As we get closer to the pens, some of the horses come up to the fence rails.  He stops and scratches them or gives them a pat on the neck.  I let some sniff my hand and rub some noses.  Four then explains that horses in training or that need special attention are kept in the pens.  He says these horses often are rotated back out to pasture after a few weeks of training and others are brought in.  That way they don't get burned out.  Plus, Four goes on, some need more training than others, so this fits well.  The three year olds are getting the full training which takes the longest.  The yearlings just need lead line and basics.  The two year olds only need basic under saddle.  So while he gives the three year olds a rest, he brings in the yearlings or the two year olds to work on.

 

As we walk, Four has been pointing out different horses, telling me their age, and where they are in training.  When we get to the main barn, or 'the barn' as everyone calls it, he points out the stalls and the tack room.  I look at all of these items, noting how neat and clean everything is.  This makes me feel better about my grandparents.  I was really wondering about their hired hand, especially since my grandpa wasn't able to keep tabs on him right now.  It's gratifying to see the ranch in shipshape.  In fact, Four seems to take pride in keeping everything up.

 

I've also been watching him interact with the horses.  Well, he's gorgeous.  I have been watching him period, but I'm learning to like his personality too.  I've grown to respect horses.  When they don't like someone, it is worth taking note.  All of the horses here really respond to him.  They come right up to him and they never shy away when he reaches for him.  This tells me a lot about his character.

 

I'm kind of caught up in my own thoughts as we walk through the barn, so Four surprises me when he asks, "So you just graduated.  Your grandparents live here.  Where did you grow up?'

 

"Denver."

 

"Ah, a city girl, huh?"  Four says with a smirk.

 

"I guess you could say that.  I only got down here to see my grandparents once or twice a year.  It was nice being at NMSU.  Whenever they came to Las Cruces, I would meet up with them.  I would help them with their shopping or just have lunch with them.  I miss my parents, but I have always gotten along with my grandparents better."  I stop walking and turn to Four.  "What about you?  You grew up here, right?"

 

"Yep."  With that short answer, Four turns and starts walking again, heading over to the secondary barns.  I'm a little taken aback by his short answer, but I gather that he doesn't want to talk about himself.  As the tour continues, Four explains what each barn area is used for.  When we finish with the barns, we are over near the far pens.  I see my grandparent's stallion in one of these pens.  I walk up to the fence and climb up the rails.  The horse sees me and starts to trot over.  Four and I just spend a couple of minutes relaxing, petting and talking to the stallion. 

 

Finally we both feel that it's time to head in for dinner so we start heading back toward the house.  When we are about halfway to the house, Four mentions, "Sally told me that I should give you a riding lesson.  Is that something that you would be interested in?"

 

I stop myself from laughing and think about it.  "Yeah," I say.  "That could be fun."

 

"I have some time tomorrow afternoon, if you want," Four tells me.

 

"I can't then.  I need to get into town and check out the library.  Part of the reason I'm here is to study for my NCLEX exam.  I have to pass it to be registered as an RN.  I have some of the books that I need, but I need to see if the library has the others.  I plan on spending most of tomorrow studying."

 

Four doesn't seem upset by my answer.  "Well, I only stop by to feed on the weekend.  We can do it Monday or Tuesday.  Tuesday would be better for me."

 

"Okay," I tell him grinning.  "Tuesday you can give me a riding lesson."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

As I walk into the bar, I can see everyone checking me out.  Men and women combined.  It doesn't surprise me.  This is the only bar in town and it's a small community.  Everyone in this bar probably knows everyone else.  I'm the odd duck out.

 

I glance around and see a small DJ area, an open area for dancing, tables off to the left, pool tables in the back toward the right, and a large semi circle bar between the two.  My eyes scan over the bar and I am surprised to see Four sitting at the bar as far away from the door as possible, off to himself.  I see the bartender talking to Four and then walking over to serve others.  The bartender is wearing a crisp white shirt and a black vest.  He's a friendly looking guy, with dark skin and eyes that are filled with laughter.  I walk over toward where Four is sitting and plop down on the barstool next to him.  Four kind of glares at me and I just ignore him.

 

As I had approached the bar, the bartender had begun to drift toward me.  As I sat down next to Four, the bartender looks surprised.  "Hey lady, do you have a death wish?" he asks. 

 

I'm now confused so I glance around before answering, "No.  …  Why?"

 

"Well, no one willingly sits next to Four."  At that Four picks up his coaster and throws it at the bartender.  The bartender sees it coming and ducks with a very unmanly, "Eeeek!"  He then says, "I'm not coming back up until you promise not to throw anything else."

 

Four completely deadpans when he replies, "That's fine by me.  I come here for the beer not for you."

 

At that the bartender jumps up and whines, "Hey, not cool, man.  I'm much better than the beer here.  Anyway, you love me!"  At that Four looks around for something else to throw, but the only thing he finds is his beer mug which is still half full.

 

Realizing that he can't throw a half full beer mug, Four growls, "You're lucky I'm not up for wasting beer tonight."

 

The bartender must assume that Four isn't a threat anymore because he turns back to me extending his hand.  "I'm Zeke."

 

"Tris," I say as I shake his hand.

 

"Oh, Sally and Jack's granddaughter.  Right?"

 

Before I get a chance to answer, Four pipes up, "How in the hell do you know that she is their granddaughter?"

 

Zeke just laughs and says, "I ran into Sally at the market the other day.  All she could talk about was her granddaughter coming to visit.  I just assumed that since she isn't scared of you and I've never seen her before, that she is probably said granddaughter."

 

Four just looks at Zeke then takes a big drink of his beer all the while shaking his head.  I think I hear him mumble, "Tell the whole damn town, but not me."

 

I smirk a little as I turn back to Zeke.  "Yep, that's me.  Can I get a beer?"

 

Zeke nods and goes to fill a mug for me.  As he comes back he asks, "So how did you stumble across this bar?"

 

"What, in this one horse town?  I drove down the street and it was the only place with cars parked around it at 8:00 pm on a Friday night."

 

"Hey," Zeke scolds.  "It isn't a one horse town.  Your grandparents have at least 30 or 40 head."

 

I shake my head and tell him, "Yeah, but they aren't in town."

 

Zeke laughs at that.  "So, what were you doing in this one horse town at 8:00 pm on a Friday?"

 

"Oh, I was at the library studying.  I didn't mean to stay so late, but before I knew it, they kicked me out and closed.  I was heading home and saw this place.  I thought that a beer sounded good.  I was also curious as to what the thumping night life was like here."

 

"Just wait and see," Zeke replies waggling his eyebrows.  "Once everyone has a good buzz going, the dancing will start.  When people really start getting drunk, the karaoke starts.  The true benefit of this job is staying sober and watching people all night."

 

The visual of that makes me laugh.  "Gee, and to think that I didn't believe that there was going to be any excitement here."

 

Zeke goes to help someone on the other side of the bar.  Four still hasn't said anything to me although he was actively listening to Zeke and myself talk.  This makes me ask Zeke when he comes back, "So how long have you known Four?"

 

Zeke looks at Four and then back at me.  "Since elementary school.  Third grade."

 

I nod at this.  Looking at Four I then ask Zeke, "So has he always been anti-social, brooding, mono-syllabic?"

 

"Hey," Four responds.

 

"Kind of reinforces my point," I mutter.  "You know, one syllable."

 

At this Zeke snorts trying to hold in his laughter.  Four turns and glares at him.  "What man?  She's right.  You tend to answer with the shortest word possible."  Zeke then turns toward me and answers my question.  "Yes, he has always been like this.  He was such a bummer at recess."

 

This causes me to picture a very young Four moping around the schoolyard, glaring at anyone who tried to come near him.  As the picture solidifies in my mind, I can't help but laugh.  "Yeah.  I can imagine some fun times with him at recess.  Did he glare people down if they looked at him during dodge ball?"

 

"Wow, it's like you were there!"

 

Four looks at Zeke and me and then says, "What is this, pick on Four day?"

 

I chuckle and nod yes.  "Actually, I am going to head home.  I really had just planned on stepping in to check the place out.  Zeke, it was very nice to meet you.  Four, I'll see you."  With that I leave the bar and head home.


	4. Riding Lesson

**-Tris POV-**

The weekend goes quickly.  I fall into a routine of getting up, running, doing yoga, working in the garden, and then helping my grandma in the house.  I use the late afternoon and evening for studying.  When Monday arrives, there isn't much of a difference except for the fact that I see Four moving around, working.

 

Four interests me, but I'm not going to do anything about it.  I'm only here for the summer and the _last_ thing I will do is have a fling with the hired hand.  I mean how cliché is that?  Still, I find myself following Four with my eyes whenever I am outside.  My mind wanders to his Greek god like physique.  Then to his amazing eyes.  Ugh!  I shake my head to clear it and go back to my work.  It isn't until Tuesday when Four catches me in the garden that we talk again.  He breaks the silence with, "So, are you ready for a riding lesson?"

 

I glance at him and then at my watch.  It's about 1:00 pm.  I look around the garden to see if there is anything that can't wait until tomorrow, but don't see anything.  "Sure," I say.  "Let me clean up here and go change."

 

Four looks me up and down and says, "You don't need to change."

 

I shake my head.  "I need to get my boots and I'd rather put on jeans that aren't covered in mud."

 

Four just smirks, probably thinking I'm a fashionista.  "I'll go get the horses ready.  Meet me at the barn."

 

"Okay," I reply as I start cleaning up.  After putting away my tools in the garden, I head to my apartment and quickly change.  At the last second, I grab my old western hat and cram it on my head.

 

I make it to the barn about 15 minutes after I last talked to Four.  He has two horses saddled up.  The first is a dark bay gelding who seems like he would rather be taking a nap.  The second is a smaller buckskin mare.  She has her head up, looking around seemingly interested as what might transpire.

 

"I thought you could ride this mare.  She is very kind and works well with little direction.  She should be good for a beginner."

 

I bite my lip to keep from laughing and just nod at Four.  I walk over to the mare and rub her neck while talking to her.  After a couple of seconds, I untie her and walk her away from the hitching post.  I throw the reins over her neck and walk over to her left, or near side.  Four glances at me and asks if I need help getting on.  "Nope," is my quick reply.

 

I grab a handful of mane, put my foot in the stirrup and swing into the saddle.  The stirrups are too long for me, but as I adjust myself in the saddle, I realize that the saddle is too big for me also.  Four walks over to me after I had gotten on.  "Move your leg and I will shorten the stirrup," he tells me.

 

"Actually, I need a different saddle.  Don't we have one with a smaller seat?"

 

"We're just going to putter around in the ring, the saddle really won't matter."

 

I shake my head.  "Yes, it will.  I won't be comfortable and with this slick leather seat being too big for me, I will be sliding around."

 

Four just shakes his head at me.  Finally he relents and says with a smirk, "I'll go to the tack room and get another saddle."

 

"Thank you," I say as I get off the mare.

 

I lead her back over to the hitching post and re-tie her.  Before I can do anything, Four is back with another saddle.  I can see that it is more of an equitation seat instead of a ranch saddle.  I nod when I see it, thinking it will work well.  Four doesn't see nor acknowledge me.  He has busily taken the saddle off of the mare, hanging it over the hitching post, and re-saddled her.  When he is done, he unties her and leads her to a clear area.  While he is still holding her, I go over and swing into the saddle again.

 

"Much better.  Thank you."

 

Four is still laughing at me when he tells me to move my leg out of the way.  He shortens one stirrup and then the other.  Once he is done, I stand up in the saddle, checking on the stirrup length.  I'm good with where he set them, so I swing my legs back and little and sit my butt in the saddle.

 

"Okay?" he asks.

 

"Yep," I answer while I gather the reins, shortening them to a comfortable length in my hand.

 

With Four still standing next to the mare's shoulder, he looks up at me.  "This is real easy.  Move your hand to the right and she will turn to the right.  Pull back on the reins and she will stop.  We'll take it slow."

 

I nod at him but don't say anything.  I'm afraid to open my mouth right now and I keep biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.  However, he seems comfortable with the directions he has given me so, he walks over to the gelding, unties him, and swings into the saddle.  Looking back at me, he knees his horse into a walk and we head over toward the ring.

 

The ring is a large arena.  It's about 100 feet wide and 250 to 300 feet long.  The rail fencing around it is about four feet high.  Once we are in the ring, Four stops his horse and waits for me to join him. 

 

Four gets off his horse and drops his reins to the ground.  The horse has been taught to ground tie so he simply stands there, again looking like he could be asleep.  Four starts to tell me all about riding and how to cue a horse.  How to use the reins and my legs to make them go and stop.  My mind is wandering as he talks.  I don't need the lesson, but it is fun to spend the time with him.  He is also being kind and patient with me.  Physically he is so big and dominating, that it is kind of a surprise that his personality doesn't follow.  I'm brought out of my thoughts when I hear Four ask me, "Do you want to ride around the ring?  You can start at a walk and when you feel comfortable, urge the mare into a jog."

 

I nod and tell him, "Sure."  With that I move the mare away from him toward the edge of the ring.  As I ride around the oval, I move around in the saddle a little getting the feel of both the saddle and the mare.  She seems responsive enough.  I lightly squeeze my legs and make a kissing sound and she breaks into a slow jog.  She is smooth and easy to ride.  After a couple of laps around the ring, I ride back to where Four is.  He has gotten back on his gelding and is sitting there watching me.

 

As I ride up to him, I see a couple of large barrels sitting near the arena.  This gives me a great idea.

 

**-Four POV-**

"Ooo," Tris comments eyeballing the 55 gallon barrels along the side of the arena.  "Do you barrel race?"

 

"No," I reply.  "We use the barrels from time to time as training obstacles for the horses.  Where have you heard of barrel racing?"

 

Tris glances over at me and comments "I've seen it in rodeos on TV."

 

Since the weather was nice and the company was even nicer, I decide to play along.  Setting up the barrels and walking her through them would allow me more time with her.  So, with that in mind, I walk my horse over to the barrels and jump off.  I quickly roll three barrels out into the standard cloverleaf pattern.  I then walk back to my gelding, get on, and ride back over to where Tris sits watching me.  When I get close to her, I could see a smile on her face.  If letting her learn barrels brought a smile to her face, I would do everything in my power to teach her.

 

"Okay," I began.  "You need to ride your horse through a pattern around the barrels.  Start on the inside of the right barrel, circle it, go to the inside of the opposite barrel, circle it, and then go to the inside of last barrel and circle it.  Once you have circled all of the barrels, you return to the start line."

 

I then ask her, "Would you like to walk the path to see what you need to do?  I will go first and you follow behind me."

 

Tris nods so I start out with my gelding.  She soon gets her mare moving and follows behind me.  I walk the whole circuit and return to our original positions.  I'm surprised when she turns to me and says, "So, you want to race?"

 

I chuckle and say, "No, it wouldn't be fair."

 

She then grins and says, "Well, even if it isn't fair, it will be fun.  Let's make a bet.  Whoever loses has to sing a karaoke song at the bar next Saturday night?"

 

I slowly shake my head no.  She looks at me again and grins.  "Come on," she encourages.  "I'll even let you pick the song that you sing.  What do you have to lose except for your big, bad reputation as 'Four' who doesn't talk or move from the bar?"

 

"Okay, okay," I finally agree.  "But, I feel like I am taking advantage of you."  When I say that, she just laughs.

 

Tris then pipes up, "Why don't you go first so I can see how you do it?"

 

I get my phone out and pull up a stopwatch app.  When I have it ready, I pass my phone to Tris.  "Start timing when I pass you," I tell her.

 

After she takes my phone, I turn my horse around and trot back a couple of yards to give myself a running start before I pass her.  My gelding has never run barrels.  Hell, I have never run barrels.  I really feel like I am taking advantage of Tris, but I hate losing.  When I can tell that she is ready, I cue my horse to run.  I don't try to overdo it, but again I don't like losing.  I let my gelding turn the barrels as fast as he can and urge him to more speed between the barrels.  When I race back past Tris, I can see she is happy.  I then hear her shout "21.5 seconds."

 

I trot back over to Tris and take my phone from her.  "Okay, your turn," I state.  She just grins and walks the mare over to where I started.

 

Once Tris is lined up for her run she looks and me and says "Last chance.  You can forfeit now."

 

I laugh and tell Tris, "Anytime you're ready."  At my words, she leans forward in the saddle, raises the reins over the horse's neck, squeezes her legs together, gives her mare two quick clicks with her tongue, and ever so slightly, touches her heels to the mare's flanks.  Tris' hat goes flying as the mare rockets forward at a full gallop.  Before I know it, the mare is at the first barrel and Tris is pulling her around with a tight rein.  After they pass the first barrel, Tris again asks the mare for more speed and the horse readily answers with a jump forward.  As they hit the second barrel, the mare slides around the barrel, throwing dirt everywhere.  They pass that barrel and race to the last one.  After rounding that barrel, Tris raises herself forward off the saddle, with her hands almost over the mare's head, and asks her for speed.  The mare takes off like a shot, quickly reaching and passing the start line. 

 

As I dumbfoundedly watch them pass me, I finally remember to hit stop on the stopwatch.  19 seconds!  Not good if this were a real competition, but considering this is the first time that Tris was on that horse, a horse that has never run the barrels before, and considering that I forgot to stop the timer when I should have, it's a damn good time.  I mean a DAMN good time.

 

Tris slows her mare, turns, and comes back to stop directly in front of me.  After the horse comes to a halt, Tris leans forward and gives the mare several hearty pats on the neck.  She then scratches where she had patted and sits back in the saddle looking at me.  The grin across her face tells the whole story: she hustled me.

 

After I was finally able to close my mouth, I sputtered out "You said you had never done this."

 

"No, I said I had seen it on TV.  You inferred that I had never done this.  I barrel raced in college.  I was the NCAA champ for two years."

 

"Any other riding experience that I should know about," I then ask.

 

Tris looks down at the ground and then brushes imaginary dust off of her jeans before mumbling, "I have done some show jumping."

 

"Some show jumping?  Some?  Like you watched barrel racing on TV?  What constitutes some show jumping?"

 

"Well, mostly just regional and national shows, but I have competed in several grand prix level events."  Tris pauses and looks embarrassed.  She then continues, "I never won any of the grand prix shows though.  The best that I did was come in third.  I really stopped doing show jumping when college got hectic.  It was easier then to just compete with the Rodeo Club instead of traveling to all of the jumping shows.  I haven't jumped in competition in years."

 

Four rubs the bridge of his nose and then squeezes his nose right between his eyes.  She hustled him.  The signs were everywhere, but he missed them.

 

 _He missed it_ when she grabbed a handful of mane to help pull herself into the saddle.  Inexperienced riders always grab the saddle horn and unless you are tall enough to "step" into the saddle, which she definitely wasn't, it always twists the saddle on the horse's back making you have to re-center it after you sit.

 

 _He missed it_ when she complained about the first saddle being too big for her.  He had tried to explain that it was just a short lesson so the saddle really didn't matter, but she countered saying that with a slick seat, she needed a saddle with a smaller seat.  He should have asked how she knew the difference between a slick seat and a suede seat or even how she knew that the seat was too large for her.

 

 _He missed it_ when, after he shortened the stirrups, she rolled forward in her seat, pushed her legs back, and sat back with her heels down.

 

 _He missed it_ when he didn't really look at her boots.  He had expected her to be wearing new ones, only purchased since her move.  No, her boots were worn and had wear marks on the inside from long hours of rubbing against stirrups while she was in the saddle.

 

 _He missed it_ when she picked up the reins and carefully found the comfortable length and then set them horizontally crossed in her left hand. 

 

 _He missed it_ that once she was set with the proper seat and the reins in her hand that she leaned forward and comfortably patted the mare on the neck and talked to her.  She had felt at ease in the saddle, not uncomfortable like someone who was on a horse for the first time.

 

 _He missed it_ when they started to move that she didn't do anything other than lean forward ever so little and slightly squeezed her legs.

 

 _He missed_ _it_ when they moved into a jog that she didn't bounce up and down in her saddle like 99% of new riders did.  No, she had simply tucked her butt into the saddle and pushed her heels down some more. 

 

 _He missed it_ when they turned left out of the pen that she barely used the reins, instead letting her body and legs direct the horse on the direction that she wished to go.

 

The signs were everywhere.  He missed them.  He missed them all.  He who noticed the slightest changes and cues that a horse could show him, missed them all.  He had been so engrossed in HER that he hadn't seen anything.  He slowly swallowed the lump in his throat.  _Holy shit was he fucked._

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Before heading home that night, I walk up to the house.  I know that Sally will be cooking dinner and I just have to ask her something that's been bugging me.  As I go through the mud room, I hear her in the kitchen.  I stand there and watch her moving around cooking for a moment before I dryly tell her, "I gave Tris a riding lesson today."  Sally drops the spoon that she had been stirring with and quickly turns toward me.  I can see a twinkle in her eye.  She stands there looking at me for a minute then smiles.

 

"How bad did she hustle you?" Sally asks.

 

I try to keep the grin off my face when I tell her that she bet me on a barrel race.  At that Sally starts full out laughing.  She tries to catch her breath and finally ekes out, "I'm sorry, Tobias.  That girl will never tell a lie, but she is very good at omitting significant details."

 

"Well," I respond.  "I think it must run in the family.  Just last week you challenged me to see if I could get her on a horse."

 

"Oh," she says.  "Just because it was a challenge, doesn't mean it was a hard challenge.  Anyway, I knew that if you didn't offer, she would have just saddled up any old horse and headed out.  Now that you have an idea of what she can do, you can pick out a good horse for her."

 

I shake my head and turn around to leave.  I got my answer.  Before I get out of the house I hear Sally ask, "What was the bet?"

 

I know I don't want to face the laughter that will follow my response, so I just say it as I walk out the door.  "I have to sing karaoke at the bar."  _Yep, I can even hear the laughter out here._


	5. The Rescue

**-Four POV-**

Since it's mid-May, the days are fairly long.  Even though it is still light enough to see at 8:30 at night, I don't like to feed the horses that late.  I try to keep them on a schedule of getting their evening meal at around 6:00 pm.  I walk around noting each horse as I throw hay to them.  When I get to the feeding area for the north pasture, I only see five yearlings when I should see six.  This isn't good.

 

I finish up feeding everyone else and get my binoculars out of my truck.  Standing in the bed of the truck, I scan over what parts I can see of the northern pasture.  I still don't see the missing horse.  _Crap!_ I jump out of the truck and head to the house.

 

As I enter the house I hear Tris and Sally talking and laughing in the kitchen.  I walk in and interrupt them.  "There is a yearling missing in the northern pasture.  I'm going to head out and look for him, but wanted to give you a heads up.  I didn't want to be out there, especially after dark, without someone knowing where I was."

 

Sally looks concerned and then glances from me to Tris.  "Take Tris with you."

 

"No, I'm fine.  But, I'd better get going."

 

"Four," Sally admonishes.  "The yearling is probably injured.  You could really use a second set of hands and I can't handle a ride like that anymore.  Take Tris with you."

 

I hate to admit it, but she is right.  I walk into the living room and open the rifle cabinet.  I grab a lever action carbine and a box of shells.  As I walk back into the kitchen, I nod at Tris and say, "Let's get going."

 

She glances at her grandmother and then back at me.  "Two things," she quickly asks.  "One, anything special I need to bring?  Two, Grandma, are you sure?"

 

"Get out of here, child."  Sally makes to shoo her out of the kitchen.  "Just get your boots and a jacket.  Once the sun goes down you know how the temperature drops."

 

With that, Tris and I both head out the door.  Right before the door swings shut Sally yells, "Bring me your saddle bags before you leave."

 

Tris looks at me and asks, "Did she mean me or you?"

 

"You," I reply.  "Mine are already filled with essentials.  Get your jacket and the saddle bags and then meet me in the barn.  I'll have a horse ready for you."  With that I jog back to the barn.

 

I've already got my horse saddled and ready when Tris shows up with the saddle bags thrown over her shoulder.  I grab a lead line and head back into the pen to catch a horse for Tris to ride.  I think I will put her on the same mare that she rode yesterday.  Since this will be a rough ride, it will help being on a horse she knows at least a little.  Plus, that mare is sure footed.

 

I come out of the pen, tie the mare to the hitching post, and turn to go to the tack room to get the saddle.  Turning I almost hit Tris.  She is standing there with a bridle over her shoulder, a saddle on her hip, and a saddle pad in her hand.  She hands me the saddle pad and I chuckle as I set it on the mare.  Before I can do anything else, Tris raises the saddle to her waist, pulls the cinch and off stirrup over the saddle seat, and sets it in place on top of the pad.  She then looks at me and states, "If you want to be of some help, you can put the bridle on."

 

I shake my head and grab the bridle where she left it over the hitching post and put it on the mare.  Once I'm done I see that Tris is finishing up the front cinch before she quickly grabs the back cinch and buckles it closed.  Without breaking stride, she hooks up the breast strap to the saddle.  She then turns around, grabs the saddle bags and her jacket, and hooks them on the back of her saddle.

 

"Anything else," she queries.

 

I glance around, grab my jacket and the long, cotton lunge line.  I tie them to my saddle and then slide the rifle into the scabbard.  "Nope."  With that, I swing into the saddle and turn to see her do the same.  She got on her mare so effortlessly you could tell she had done it a thousand times before.  Quite a different performance from yesterday when she had gotten on slowly, carefully.  I chuckle at the memory of how she played me, but then clear my head to the task at hand.  I don't want to leave an injured horse out all night and I don't look forward to riding back over rough ground in the dark.  We already have one hurt horse, we don't need two.

 

I walk over to the pasture gate, lean down, and open it.  I walk my horse through and then wait for Tris.  Once she is in, I carefully close the gate, double checking that it is closed.  With that I head out to an area where I will be able to see most of the pasture.  I hope I will be able to see the yearling from there.

 

It takes about 20 minutes to get to the rise where I can survey the pasture.  Once there, I stop my horse and look around.  I don't see anything so I dig my binoculars out of the saddle bags.  Tris has been quiet the whole ride, but finally asks, "Do you see him?"

 

"No, I don't.  Which isn't good.  I can see most of the pasture from this location."

 

Tris twists around in the saddle scanning everywhere she can see.  "Well then.  Where can't we see?"

 

This catches me by surprise.  The thought goes to the root of the problem whereas most people flit around on the edges.  "There is an area to the far north that is hidden behind that ridge.  There is also an area to the east that is lower.  It dips down enough that most of it is hidden.  Unfortunately, we only have time to check one of them before it gets dark."

 

Tris glances to the north and then to the east.  I can see the gears turning in her head.  Finally she turns back to me and says, "Let's look to the north."

 

"Why?"

 

She shrugs.  "It was windy today.  Out of the east.  That low spot that you mentioned would have been really windy today.  Most horses don't want to stand in the wind.  That area to the north looks like it might have been sheltered.  If I was a horse, I would have been there."

 

I can't fault her logic.  Without saying anything, I nudge my horse forward and head north.  It takes about half an hour to reach the ridge.  As soon as we get over to the other side, we see the yearling standing a couple of hundred yards away with his head hanging down.

 

We both ride slowly up to the young horse.  I stop about twenty feet away and get out of the saddle.  I reach up and grab the cotton lunge line.  I slowly walk toward the yearling.  I don't need him running right now.  I know he is already hurt and I don't want him hurting himself more.  As I get closer to him, I notice Tris slowly riding around behind him.  _She's smart_.  She realized that he might bolt and is not only splitting his attention, but blocking his most likely escape path.

 

Once I am close enough to touch him, I slowly bring my left hand up to his nose, letting him smell me.  My right hand, with the rope in it, slowly goes up and over his neck.  I let part of the rope fall to the other side and grab it again, encircling his neck.  I quickly tie a knot in the rope so it won't tighten around his neck, and slip the running length of the rope back through the tied loop.  I place this loop over the yearling's nose, creating a quick halter.

 

Once I have him secured, Tris dismounts.  She approaches the yearling from his off rear, but starts talking to him, letting him know she is there.  I can see his ears swing in her direction.  I notice that she sees it too.  She keeps an eye on him until she can reach out and touch his hip.  She runs her hand along his body until she reaches his neck.  At that point, she bends down and seems to be looking at something.  I duck under his neck to see what caught her attention.

 

The yearling's shoulder is torn open.  The skin is ripped and there are pieces of muscle hanging loose.  The only good thing is that the wound isn't bleeding too badly and it isn't much bigger than my hand.  "Fuck," I groan.

 

I hand Tris the cotton line and head back to my horse.  I unhook my saddle bag and bring it back to the yearling.  I kneel down next to the damaged shoulder.  Tris looks at me questioningly while she murmurs to the yearling and strokes his neck.

 

"We need to patch the shoulder together before he can make it back home.  If he walks far like this, it will start bleeding badly again."  With that, I open my saddle bag and pull out what I need.  I grab a bottle of betadine and drench the wound and my hands.  Next I grab a prepackage suture needle and thread.  I open the package which causes Tris wrinkle her forehead and ask, "You're going to stitch him up?"

 

I glance at her and nod.  Before I hook the needle in to start, I look at her and say, "Keep a hold of him.  This is going to hurt him although his whole shoulder already hurts so he might not notice."  This time Tris nods and turns toward the yearling's head to give him her full attention.  With that, I start to stitch.  I only need to put the major pieces back together.  I know not to bring everything too tight because then they will just tear when he walks, but if I leave it too loose then it will take forever to heal.

 

Slowly, I piece his shoulder together.  After each stitch, I cut the thread and check how everything is coming together.  Unfortunately, I am beginning to have a hard time seeing what I need to do.  Evening turned to dusk some time ago.  I dig around in my saddle bag until I find a small LED flashlight.  I turn the light on and stick it in my mouth to hold.  With that I continue stitching up the muscles.  Once that is done, I drench the wound in betadine again and start on the skin.

 

When I'm finally done, I set everything down and slowly stand up.  I don't know what hurts more: my knees or my neck.  I try to stretch everything and roll my neck back and forth.  Tris is still talking lowly to the yearling to sooth him.  I step around in front of them both and let her know that I'm done.  She looks at me in surprise and then turns to look at the shoulder.  "You're done?"

 

"Yeah," I say tiredly.  It shouldn't have taken me that long there weren't that many stitches, but I am really slow at stitching.  I'm also worried about the wound.  I will need to get the vet out to look at him tomorrow.  This was really past anything that I should have been working on.

 

I glance around and see our two horses are grazing nearby.  We never tied them so they have just been wondering a little after being ground tied.  I look at my watch and see it is about 9:30.  It would take us almost an hour to get back to the barn on uninjured horses during daylight.  The moon provides enough light that we can see some, but leading the injured yearling, at night, we would be lucky to make it in two hours.

 

I turn to look at Tris.  "It would be safer for us all if we camp here tonight.  We can head out at first light."

 

She glances around and then back to me.  After a second, she looks back at the yearling's shoulder.  "Yeah," she says.  "I can see that.  He's exhausted from the pain.  You're exhausted from working on him.  Plus he will be slow.  What do you need me to do?"

 

 _Wow!_ That was not the response I was expecting.  I nod to the saddle bags on the ground.  "You'll find hobbles in the saddle bags.  We need to get the other horses unsaddled and hobbled.  I'm just going to leave the rope on him.  He won't go far with that shoulder.  I wish I had brought some antibiotics with us.  We'll have to give him some as soon as we get back in the morning."  I shake my head.  "I had assumed that he racked himself or worst case broke a leg.  I didn't think he would have gotten torn up like that."

 

I sigh again.  "You take care of the horses and I'll gather some firewood."

 

Tris reaches up, scratches the yearling's neck, and then hands the cotton rope to me.  She then bends down and fishes around until she finds the hobbles in the saddle bags.  She doesn't even look at me before she heads over to the mare and gets to work.  I explain to myself that I'm just tired from stitching up the yearling.  That is why I am taking a minute before I start collecting firewood.  Yeah.  I'm not standing here blatantly watching Tris.  _I'm resting._

 

However, I am curious.  I'm curious if we will have two saddle horses around in the morning.  She didn't ask about the hobbles and I didn't offer.  Does she really know what she is doing?  I stand and pat the yearling on the neck.  Tris reaches the mare.  She reaches out and gathers the reins.  With them firmly in hand she bends down to attach the hobbles to the mare's front feet.  Only after the hobbles are securely fastened, does Tris stand and begin working on the saddle.  I chuckle to myself.  I should have guessed she would know exactly what to do.  I remove the rope from around the yearling's nose but leave it knotted around his neck.  I then go and find what wood I can.  We don't have blankets so we'll need a decent fire to keep warm.

 

By the time I have found several juniper logs, Tris is done with the horses.  She works near where I have been stacking the wood and quickly makes a decent fire pit encircled with rocks.  As I come over to drop another log off, I see her digging in my saddle bags.  "What do you need?" I question. 

 

Tris looks up and states, "You mentioned a fire so I assume you have a lighter or matches.  Unless you were planning on impressing me by rubbing two sticks together?"

 

I almost laugh before I tell her, "There is a lighter and a couple of fire starter sticks in the right hand pocket."  She just nods and goes back to rooting around.

 

When I have finally decided that we have enough wood, Tris has a decent fire going.  She has brought the saddle pads and saddles over near the fire.  I notice that she is still thinking of the horses.  She was careful to put the saddle pads clean side down with the saddles sitting on top of them.  By keeping the dirty side, or horse side, of the pad away from the ground, she is keeping stickers and such off the pads.  And while the saddles won't be much for us, at least we can rest against them.  I go over and sit down next to my saddle.  Tris has both sets of saddle bags, my canteen, our jackets, as well as the rifle next to us.

 

"Thank you for the fire.  You saved me a ton of work." 

 

Tris looks up and me and smiles.  "I already texted Grandma.  She knows where we are and that we won't head back until morning.  Based upon the amount of food that she stuffed in my saddle bags, I'm thinking she figured that this would happen."

 

I nod as my stomach growls from the mention of food.  "Well, we missed dinner so what did she pack?"  With that, we sort through the food and begin eating.  I think both of us are worn out from the evening's activities.  I have to say that once again Tris surprises me.  Not only did she jump at helping, but she did what needed to be done without needing to be told.  I am also very appreciative of the fact that, while she is far from silent, she doesn't feel the need to fill every moment with inane chatter.  We both lean against the saddles, eating and staring at the fire, comfortable in the silence of the night.  When we have finished eating, Tris puts the food away while I stoke the fire up.  After she is resettled against her saddle with her jacket near her, I see her start to drift off to sleep.  I lean over and cover her with the jacket.

 

As I lay there, sleep alluding me, I think about Tris.  I have known her for a week, but she seems to have turned my world upside down.  Every time I think I have unlocked more information about her, I find out I didn't know anything at all.  She also keeps surprising me with her strength of character.  I had really believed that she was a spoiled city girl coming to flop for the summer.  I guess I should have known better.  If nothing else, the fact that Sally is her grandmother should have given me a clue about her.  But, I don't like being surprised by her.  I want to know her instead of making poor assumptions and stupid guesses.  As I finally feel sleep begin to overtake me, I still haven't figured out how to go about furthering my education of Tris.

 

**-Tris POV-**

Four and I alternated adding wood to the fire through the night.  Mainly it worked out that whenever either one of us woke up, we added more wood.  I can't say as I was completely comfy and warm all night, but I have slept worse in better places.  Now however, the sky is starting to lighten up with the pending morning sun.  I sit up and stretch to try and get the kinks out.

 

I turn to look at Four still asleep half propped up on his saddle.  A grin comes to my face as I take in his appearance.  He is still good looking, but when he is sleeping, his face is relaxed.  It makes him look younger.  My eyes travel his face noting his slightly hooked nose and strong, stubble covered jaw before slowly tracing down his well-defined body.  Thankfully I see him start to move so I pull my eyes away before I am caught staring at him.

 

With the growing light, I can see most of the terrain.  It's beautiful up here in the high foothills.  The juniper has thinned to some ponderosa pines every now and again.  I can see pockets of scrub oak and some other bushes.  The morning is quiet with only the sounds of the horses grazing nearby.  Finally, I hear Four mumble, "Morning." 

 

I glance at him and laugh.  He definitely looks worse for wear after last night.  I'm also guessing that he is wishing for a giant coffee right now.  At my laugh, Four had turned to glare at me.  "What are you so happy about this morning?" he grumbles.

 

"Just looking around and appreciating the area.  It's beautiful."

 

Four glances around and then looks at me before replying "Yes, it is.  But I still want coffee."  With that he stands and stretches his arms up over his head.  He looks around again, seeming to take inventory of everything.  After he seems okay with what he has seen, he walks over to the yearling.  I hear him talking softly to the horse as he approaches.  Once up next to the young horse, he holds onto the rope and bends down to look at the shoulder.  I walk over to take a look too.  Last night the light was too poor to really see what it looked like.

 

All I can now see is ripped skin with stitches every so often.  The wound itself isn't bleeding but it looks like it really hurts.  "What do you think happened to him?" I ask Four.

 

He shrugs before answering.  "I think he got hung up on something.  A piece of wood or a metal pole.  There isn't much metal around, but the wound seemed clean.  If he got stuck on a piece of wood, you usually see pieces of wood in the wound."

 

"Hey before we get too busy, I need to find a bush.  I assume that you want to head out as soon as we can and I can't ride with a full bladder."

 

Four agrees with me so when he heads back toward the fire, I head in the other direction for a secluded area to relieve myself.  As soon as I get back, I grab the mare's bridle and go catch her.  I put the bridle on and once she is secured, I remove her hobbles.  With that done, I walk her over to where the saddles are.  I can see Four glancing at me every now and again, but I just keep getting stuff together to leave.  Soon I have the mare saddled, my saddle bag in place, and am starting to kick dirt over the remaining fire.  When I start this, Four walks up with his horse.  He hands me the reins and digs in his seemingly endless saddle bags.  After a second he pulls out a small folded shovel.  "Easier than your feet," he says with a grin.  I nod and watch him bury the few coals. 

 

Once he's done, he folds the shovel back up and replaces it in the saddle bags.  He takes the reins from me and gets on his horse.  "Let's go," he says while turning toward the yearling.  Once there, he leans over and picks up the rope.  He throws a couple of dallys over his saddle horn and clicks to both horses to start walking.  I don't know if the yearling will want to walk, so feel that I can help by bringing up the rear.  This way my mare is pushing the yearling while his horse is leading him.  I end up bumping my mare into his rear before he starts walking slowly, but at least he is moving.

 

After we are over the ridge, we can see home but we know that it will be a long slow ride to get there.  Four has been careful to never go faster than the yearling wants to.  He's keeping him moving, but not forcing speed out of the horse.

 

I turn around in the saddle and dig through my saddle bags.  Pulling out some of the leftover food, I knee my mare forward to catch up with Four.  When I am riding alongside him, I hold the food out to him.  He glances at the food and says, "Thank you," before taking it from me.  We both ride quietly as we eat.  After a while, Four passes his canteen to me.  I take a long drink and pass it back to him.  I have been rolling a thought over in my mind, trying to decide if I should bring it up or not. 

 

"Just spit it out," Four grunts.

 

"What do you mean?" I ask.

 

"You want to ask me something.  Just ask."

 

"Okay.  Why don't you head back?  That way you can feed and get everything ready for the yearling.  Both of us aren't required to lead him back.  I mean I can see the way home.  I won't get lost."

 

Four looks at me for a second and then turns his head back to the trail.  I feel my shoulders slump.  Figures that he doesn't trust me with this.  Hell, he just met me last week, but still he should know that I can handle this.  I allow my mare to slow down slightly letting her begin to drop back to our prior place behind the yearling.

 

Four stops his horse and turns toward me.  I raise an eyebrow and look at him.  When he realizes that I'm not going to talk, he finally says, "You're right.  It makes sense for me to ride ahead.  I can get back in about 30 minutes while it will take well over an hour with the yearling."  With that, he turns toward me and hands me the yearling's rope.  I dally it on my saddle horn.  He then hands me his canteen.

 

Next, he surprises me by getting off his horse.  He walks over to the right side of his horse and throws his stirrup over the saddle.  He quickly unbuckles the rifle scabbard and then walks over the right hand side of my saddle.  He jerks his chin toward me so I kick my foot out of the stirrup and slide my leg back.  Four hooks my stirrup over the saddle horn and attaches the scabbard to my saddle.  When he is done, he drops my stirrup and I slide my foot back into it.  He starts to walk back to his horse and then turns back to me.  "You do know how to use it right?"  He then smirks a little and adds, "It's just like it is on TV."

 

I laugh and tell him, "Yeah.  Grandpa taught me years ago.  I assume it is loaded?"

 

Four just nods and steps back in the saddle.  Before he leaves he tells me, "It's pretty much a straight shot home.  If you need anything call.  If needed I can get a horse trailer about halfway up here, but a trailer ride over that road will hurt him more than a slow walk.  I'm also going to give the vet a call and see if he can check him out today."

 

Once I nod in understanding, he turns his horse and urges him to a jog.  Very quickly the distance between us grows.  Before I re-start the walk home, I text my grandma and let her know that Four should be there in less than 30 minutes.  I then talk to the yearling and get everyone walking again.

 

As I slowly ride home, I think about this trip.  All together Four and I probably said less than 500 words to each other, but at the same time, I didn't feel ignored.  It's strange.  Being with him is comfortable in a way that I have never experienced before.  Course Four isn't like anyone that I have been around before.  It' weird.  He will talk about the horses but never talks about himself or anything personal.  I then realize that I really don't know anything about him besides that he grew up around here and that he works for my grandparents.

 

**-Four POV-**

I quickly make it back to the ranch.  I ride straight up to the house so I can give Sally and Jack an update.  Before I'm even out of the saddle, Sally opens the backdoor and steps outside.

 

"How is the yearling?"

 

I sigh and tell her, "He tore up his shoulder pretty bad, but I think he will be fine.  I would like to get the vet out to look at him.  I patched him up, but it was more than I feel comfortable with."

 

Sally nods before replying, "Okay.  I'll call him.  I was going to feed then got Tris' text that you were coming back.  I hope you don't mind that I left that for you."

 

"That's fine.  I was figuring that I would feed when I got here.  Tris will probably be here in about an hour."

 

Sally looks carefully at me and asks, "How did she do?  I wasn't sure how she would handle an injured horse."

 

I smile while remembering her over the past 12 hours.  "She did great.  She helped out without my asking.  It was a big help having her with me."

 

At this, Sally grins.  "Well," she says.  "Feel free to put her to work with the horses or around the ranch."  With that she walks back into the house, leaving me to get to my work.

 

I step back into the saddle and ride to the barn.  All of the horses let me know, in no uncertain terms, that breakfast is late.  I debate whether to jump on feeding or to unsaddle my horse.  I decide that I should probably feed first, since I want to take time and rub down the gelding that I rode.  So, I tie him to the hitching post and go around to feed everyone.

 

It takes me about half an hour to quickly feed.  I will go around and check on water, etc. after everything is settled.  I then unsaddle my horse and give him a good brushing.  Once I'm done, I take him to a small pen where I can feed him separately.  I give him a good helping of hay and a small cup of grain.  With that done, I start setting up a pen for the wounded yearling.  I make sure that there is fresh water available as well as a large helping of hay.  I then stand up on the fence and look out toward the pasture.  I see Tris coming in.  I think it will be about 20 minutes before she gets here.  I take that time by checking on all of the waterers and looking over the other horses.  When I am finishing up, I hear her talking to the horses.  She has tied the mare to the hitching post and is just standing with the yearling.

 

"How'd it go?" I ask.

 

"Good.  He didn't like it, but he kept moving.  Where should I put him?"

 

I put my arm out indicating which direction to go and start walking that way.  Tris follows with the injured horse.  We quickly get to the pen that I set up for him.  Tris walks him in and stops him near the hay.  Once stopped, she unties the rope from around his neck and exits.  I close the gate behind her.  We are both standing there looking at the yearling when Sally walks up.

 

"The vet will be here this afternoon.  I told him it wasn't an emergency so he will get here when he can."

 

I nod and remember that I wanted to give him some antibiotics.  "That reminds me.  I'll be right back."  I head back to the tack room and grab the bottle of combiotic out of the refrigerator.  I quickly look up the dosage rate and then pick an appropriate size syringe.  After filling the syringe, I put the antibiotic back in the fridge and head to the corral.  Oops, I swing back and grab a halter to put on the yearling.

 

When I get to the pen, Sally and Tris are talking about the ride.  I just go into the corral and put the halter on the yearling.  After I do that, I give him the shot of antibiotic in his neck.  I rub the area of the shot a little and then leave the pen.

 

"I think he will be fine, although he will have a hell of a scar on that shoulder," I tell Sally.

 

She nods and sighs.  "I hate it when they get hurt.  Especially the babies."  She looks at the yearling again and then at Tris and myself before saying, "Well, I think you have everything well in hand.  I'll head back to the house.  Let me know of any change and let me know what the vet says."

 

"Of course," I reply.  With that, Sally turns and starts to walk toward the house.  She then stops and turns to look at me.  "Four, thank you.  Going out late and spending the night in the pasture is going over and above anything that we expect of you.  It is greatly appreciated, especially with Jack laid up."

 

"Don't worry about it, Sally.  I couldn't have not gone out and looked for him.  I care about these horses too."  With that she smiles, nods, and leaves.

 

I turn back toward the pen and see Tris looking at me.  She has a serious look on her face, like she is carefully thinking about something.  "Everything all right?" I ask her.

 

"Yeah.  But, Grandma is right.  You went above last night and this morning.  Thank you for helping out so much around here.  I know that Grandma had told me that she had a hired hand that she trusted, but I didn't really believe it until this whole ordeal.  It helps me not worry about them so much now, knowing that you are here."  At this she smiles at me.  Strange feelings bubble in my stomach when I see that smile, but I just nod in acknowledgement of what she said.

 

Tris looks around again and then tells me, "I'm going to go take a shower and get some coffee.  I know you live nearby, but if you don't want to go home, you are welcome to freshen up in the apartment.  If nothing else, you can finally get some coffee."

 

This surprises me, but at the mention of coffee I feel any resolve fading.  "Yeah," I answer.  "I would _love_ some coffee." 

 

She laughs and says, "Follow me."

 

As she walks away I shake my head.  I have a sneaking feeling that I would follow her anywhere.


	6. Collecting on the Bet

**-Tris POV-**

As I'm walking away, I hear Four say, "I'm going to grab my gym bag out of my truck.  I'll meet you at the apartment."

 

I get home and, first things first, I start some coffee.  God, I need coffee.  I'm anxiously awaiting the dripping dark brew when I hear a knock at my door.  "It's open," I yell.

 

I'm still standing at the counter, staring at the coffee maker and tapping my fingers, when Four goads, "A little addicted to caffeine, are you?"  I turn to see him smirking at me.

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  But, I wasn't the one lamenting the fact that there was no coffee this morning."  With that, I grab the coffee pot and pour out what has already been brewed into a cup.  I stick the pot back in the maker to continue its work.  I then turn and smirk back at Four when I say, "You can wait for your cup.  I'm going to take a shower."  I grab my coffee cup and run into the bathroom.

 

I quickly take a shower.  After I dry off, I comb my hair and twist it up into a quick bun.  When I ran in here with my coffee, I didn't think about the fact that Four is here, so I didn't bring any clothes in with me.  Oh well.  I wrap a towel around me and exit the bathroom.  I'm surprised to see Four leaning against the couch looking right at the bathroom door while drinking a cup of coffee.

 

"The bathroom is all yours.  Oh, I have to apologize.  All I have is vanilla scented shampoo."

 

Four just smiles.  He lifts his gym bag and says, "I have some spare clothes as well as soap and shampoo.  I usually shower at the gym."

 

"Okay," I say as I head into my bedroom.  I quickly get dressed in a t-shirt and sweat pants, then head back to the kitchen to get more coffee.  I'm staring at the food in my refrigerator when Four comes out of the bathroom.  I have only seen him in button up shirts, but now he is in a tight fitting t-shirt.  A _very_ tight fitting t-shirt.  _Damn is he put together._

 

I clear my throat from the lump that just formed there.  "Would you like something to eat?"

 

"Sure.  What do you have?"

 

"Well, a little bit of everything.  My grandma fully stocked this place.  I think she assumed that I would cook for groups of ten or something."

 

"Eggs?"  Four asks.

 

"Yeah, I can do that."  I dig into the fridge and gather bacon and eggs.  I set these on the counter and turn to grab the bread when I hear the clank of a pan.  I turn to see Four putting bacon in a pan.  "You can cook?"  I ask.

 

"Well, yeah.  I have to eat.  And, it is just bacon and eggs."

 

As he is standing there, I realize that I can see parts of a tattoo on his neck, just barely poking up from the back of his shirt.  The tattoo is hidden by the collar of the shirts that he normally wears.  The fact that he has a tattoo surprises me.  "What's your tattoo of?"

 

Four jerks in surprise and rubs the back of his neck.  "Uh, um, nothing much."

 

I just nod.  It seems that he doesn't want to share so I try to change the subject.  "How do you like your eggs?"

 

He shrugs.  "It doesn't really matter."

 

"Yes, it does," I say.  "First, runny yolks or hard?"  I see him start to shrug again so I add, "Yes, it matters.  Which do you like better?"

 

"Okay, okay.  I like either, but I prefer runny."

 

"Good," I say grinning.  "Once the bacon is done I will make you some basted eggs."

 

Four stops turning the bacon in the pan and looks at me.  "What are you talking about?  What are basted eggs?"

 

"They are the BEST eggs ever.  And, so easy."  As Four finishes up the bacon, I get a plate set out with paper towels on it that he can set the bacon on to drain.  When he is done, he steps back with a bow indicating that the stove is mine.

 

"These will actually cook really fast.  Why don't you start some toast while I do this?"

 

He just nods and grabs the bread.  As I start working on the eggs, I can see him watching me out of the corner of his eye.  I pour most of the bacon grease out of the pan and then set the pan back on the stove.  I crack four eggs into the pan and they start to sizzle immediately.  I salt and pepper them then grab a cup and fill it with just a splash of water.  I dig under the counter and pull out the lid to this pan.  I then dump the water into the hot pan and immediately cover the pan with the lid.  I grab two plates and set them next to the stove.  I then turn off the burner and lift the lid.  Taking the spatula, I set two eggs on each plate.

 

"Is that toast done yet?" I ask as I turn toward Four.  He is looking at me in wonder.

 

"How did you cook eggs that fast?"

 

"The water turns to steam and cooks the tops allowing them to finish quickly."  With that I grab a slice of toast and a couple of pieces of bacon and sit down at the table.  I cut my eggs up getting yolk over everything.  _Oh, so good._

 

Four just shakes his head and sits down.

 

"What?  It's hot.  I don't like cold eggs."

 

At this Four chuckles.  I somewhat impatiently wait until he tastes his eggs.  "These are really good," he tells me.

 

"Yeah, I love the yolks, plus to make really good scrambled eggs takes forever.  Thanks for making the bacon.  I don't usually have the patience for that."

 

"How can you ride horses, show jump even, and not have patience?"  I assume that he is teasing me, but when I look up I see that he looks genuine in asking.

 

"Well, first horses and food are two widely different things.  I like to eat and when I'm hungry I don't want to wait.  How about you?  You seem like you would rather be by yourself all the time and not be bothered by anything.  How do you put up with training horses?"  I keep looking at him when I ask this.  I figure that he opened the door so I should take advantage of it.

 

"It's simple," he answers.  "I don't like most people, but I like horses.  They're usually honest and almost never violent for the sake of violence." 

 

When he's done talking, he just kind of stares at his plate.  I get the feeling that he said more than he meant to there.  Before the silence can stretch into being uncomfortable, I ask him, "Do you want some more coffee?"

 

"No, I'm good.  This is my second cup," he tells me.

 

I get up and set my dirty dishes in the sink.  I then turn and start to clean the counter and put the remaining food away.  Before I can stop him, Four starts washing the dishes.  "You don't have to do that," I tell him.  "I'll get them in a while."

 

"Hey, it's the least I can do for letting me get cleaned up and feeding me."

 

"Well, you did help cook.  Really, you're making me feel bad."  I try to stop him, but pushing him out of the way is like moving a tree.  It just isn't going to happen.  Finally I give in and just start drying and putting away the dishes.

 

He smirks down at me.  "Did you really think you could shove me out of the way?  I mean really?"

 

"Shut up."  With that I put the last dish away and turn back to him.  He is leaning with his back against the counter looking better than anyone has a right to.  When he sees me looking at him, he says, "Well, I should get back to work.  Thank you again for letting me take a shower and giving me coffee."

 

Without thinking about it, I say, "Anytime."

 

Four's eyes go wide when I say that.  It then hits me.  "I mean not 'anytime' anytime.  Just let me know if you need...  ...  You know what.  I'm going to quit while I'm somewhat out of the hole."

 

Four just laughs at this and grabs his gym bag.  He walks to the door and nods at me as he leaves.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

It's finally Saturday night.  I need to collect on my bet with Four.  I drive into town and head to the local bar.  I walk in and glance around.  Most people smile at me and a couple of guys throw me winks.  I am looking for someone though.  I don't see Four, but I see Zeke behind the bar again.  I sit over near where Four sat last week.  When Zeke glances at me, I nod and ask for a beer.  He slides a full mug over.  Grabbing it, I quickly take a long drink. 

 

"So, how was your week, Tris?"

 

"It was interesting.  I got working on stuff for my grandma, got some serious studying in, and had an adventure with an injured yearling."

 

"Oh, yeah.  Four told me about your impromptu camping trip.  He told me you did real well out there."

 

I'm surprised at this.  "Really?  What did..." 

 

Before I finish what I was saying, a guy behind me asks, "Would you like to dance?"

 

I turn and look at him.  He is kind of good looking and seems nice enough.  I glance at Zeke and don't see him flashing me any warning signs, so figure what the hell.  "Sure," I say.  I get off my barstool and let him lead me to the dance floor.

 

I quickly learn that his name is Edward and he grew up here.  He is only back for the summer since he goes to college at ASU.  After that dance I thank him and head back to the bar. 

 

Before I make it back to my waiting beer, someone else grabs my hand.  Without even asking me, they pull me to them and start to dance.  Where Edward seemed nice enough, this person is pushing my boundaries though, thankfully, not crossing them.  He tells me his name is Eric and insinuates that we should hook up.  I manage to keep space between us for the rest of that song and then break away.  I don't give him a chance to grab me again.

 

As I near my waiting beer, I see Four sitting on the barstool next to it.  I sit down and take large drink.  After swallowing, I turn to Four and grin.  "So, when are you going to sing for me?"

 

Zeke looks between us, glancing back and forth.  After a couple of moments when neither of us speak, Zeke finally breaks the silence and asks, "Sing?  Four doesn't sing?  He barely talks."

 

At that I snort and tell Zeke, "Four lost a bet and has to sing a karaoke song tonight."

 

"Four lost a bet?" Zeke asks incredulously.  "He never loses.  At anything."

 

Four doesn't say anything, he just stands up, pushes himself away from the bar, and walks to the stage where the karaoke machine is.  He stands there flipping through the song book looking like he is bored with life.  After a couple of moments he must find a song that he likes because he takes the book over to the DJ and points to something on a page.  The DJ nods.

 

Once the song currently playing ends, the DJ calls out to the bar, "Tonight will be open mike karaoke.  Starting us off is Four!"

 

There is instant silence in the bar as everyone in the bar stops talking and turns to look at him.  The crowd in this bar never changes.  Everyone knows him.  They all look stunned.  But before the crowd can completely register what the DJ said, the music starts.  After the lead in Four starts to sing.

 

When I thought up this bet, I really just wanted to humble Four.  He thought I was this little girl that needed help and couldn't do anything on my own.  I have also done karaoke a couple of times and figured that on the slim chance that I lost, that it wouldn't be hard to pay up.  However, I never thought that Four would march up, stop the normal music, and break into song.  I also never thought that he would be a good singer.  Boy was I wrong.

 

Four has a deep, rugged, almost raspy voice that is also clear and easy to listen to.  _Who am I kidding?  He sounds sexy as hell._ Judging by the looks of the female population of the bar, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

 

The song ends and Four just puts the mike down and walks off the stage.  Everyone in the bar yells, hoots, and claps.  Four doesn't acknowledge any of it.

 

I don't know what I expected him to do next, but him walking straight up to me, grabbing my face with both of his large hands, and kissing me was not it.  It wasn't just a peck on the lips.  No, this was a deep, hard, passionate tongue massage.  When he finished, he still didn't say anything, but just turned around and left.  Well, almost.  When he was about halfway to the door, he turned around and asked Zeke, "You'll make sure she gets home safe, right?"

 

Zeke kind of stutters a "Yes" while he looks dumbfounded.  With that, Four quietly walks out of the bar.  The bar that had been completely silent once Four had kissed me.  Everyone was watching him walk to the door.  Once the door shut behind him, every eye in the bar turned toward me.

 

I turn from all those eyes.  "I need a stiff drink," I manage to stutter out while still trying to catch my breath from that kiss.

 

Zeke starts to walk away to make me something when I stop him.  "Stop.  I can't drink anything else.  I drove here and need to be able to drive home."

 

Zeke turns back to me.  "After that," he waves toward the stage and then to me.  "You need a drink.  Hell, I need a drink!"

 

I shake my head no.  Zeke steps in front me and says, "Tell you what.  Drink, enjoy, and you can come home with me."

 

I quickly look up at him and start to sputter when he stops me.  "I didn't mean it like that.  Not only do I look at you as a friend in need, but I value my life.  I wouldn't dream of stepping on Four's toes.  I have a spare bedroom that you can use."

 

I'm now confused.  "What do you mean stepping on Four's toes?  Just because he kissed me doesn't make me his."

 

Zeke laughs.  "Whether you want him or not is up to you to decide, but he has staked his claim."

 

I am even more confused now and it must show.  Zeke mixes me a drink and sets it in front of me on the bar.  He then leans forward and states, "Look at everyone else in the bar."

 

I turn on my barstool and survey the bar.  While everyone is talking in their small groups, the women in the bar glance at me every now and again.  Most of them have glares or looks of disgust on their faces.  None of the guys in the bar will meet my eyes.

 

I look at Zeke and ask, "What is going on?"

 

He simply responds, "Four."

 

"Zeke, I need more.  Are you taking lessons from him on explaining things with the fewest number of words possible?"

 

Zeke chuckles at that and then explains.  "Four kissed you."

 

"Again," I say.  "I need more.  It was just a kiss."  Well it was more than that based upon how damp my underwear now feel, but I'm not going to tell Zeke that!

 

"No, you don't understand.  Four doesn't do that.  Even in high school when we had girlfriends, he never did more than kiss her on the cheek.  Since high school he hasn't had a steady girlfriend and if he went on dates, which were very rare, you never saw any public affection."

 

Before Zeke can continue, he gets flagged down by another patron.  Zeke walks over to them and fixes them a drink.  Once they are settled he comes back to me and says, "Four staked his claim on you and let everyone in this bar know it.  That kiss wasn't just a kiss it was a statement to everyone to leave you alone."

 

I think about that and then ask, "Is that why none of the guys will look at me now?  When I came in they were flirty and now it's like I don't exist."

 

"Yep."

 

I think about this and I would be lying if I said that it didn't thrill me a little.  Staking a claim.  Mean come on.  It's Four.  But, then I think about the whole 'possession' thing and I start to get mad.  "It's not up to Four.  It's my decision whether I'm with someone or not."

 

"Yeah, I agree, but Four is Four.  There isn't anyone in this town that will stand up to him."  Zeke says.  "They respect and fear him too much."

 

Before I can start to rant, Zeke pushes my drink closer to me.  "It's a Long Island Iced Tea.  Drink it.  Then you can tell me what you did to actually win a bet against Four.  You might be the first person in history to do that." 

 

At that I laugh and remember the stupid look on his face when I crossed the finish line from my barrel run.  "Okay," I say grinning.

 

By the time my drink is done, Zeke is laughing his ass off at my explanation of how I hustled Four.  "Boy, I would have loved to witness that!"  Zeke keeps laughing, shaking his head.  "Four must have thought that the world fell off its axis."

 

Once he stops laughing he asks me why I did it.  "He always just assumed things about me.  How I was a city girl and didn't know anything.  I thought it would be fun to beat him at his own game," I explain.

 

"So," Zeke asks "You have been riding for a while?"

 

"Yeah.  I started just pony club stuff when I was about 6 and then moved on to show jumping when I was 10.  Although I usually rode western when I wasn't training or showing, it wasn't until college that I got into barrel racing."

 

This makes Zeke start laughing again.  I raise an eyebrow in question to him and he explains.  "Not only did you beat him at his own game, but you have been riding for many more years than him.  Four didn't start working with horses until high school.  He got a part time job at your grandparent's place.  He started at just doing odd jobs, but he tended to gravitate to the horses and they responded to him.  Your grandmother was the one to encourage him to start riding and training."

 

"I have to say in all of my time around horses, I have rarely, if ever, seen a man who approaches a horse like he does.  His movements are so smooth and calming that the horse instantly responds to him.  A lot of men like being around horses because they get this thrill out of controlling a large beast.  I'm not saying all of them, but I've met my share.  It's almost a domineering thing with them.  With Four it's completely the opposite.  He seems to approach it as a partnership or even that he is accepting what they are willing to give to him.  I can see why he is a good trainer.  Maybe not a good barrel racer, but a good trainer," I say with a smirk.

 

Zeke and I keep talking through the night.  He stays busy working the bar, but usually close enough that we can maintain our conversation.  The more I get to know Zeke, the more I like him.  He seems crazy at times, but he really is a good guy.

 

I have another drink or two and while I think I can still walk straight, I am not getting behind the wheel.  I help Zeke with his close up duties and follow him out of the bar as he locks up for the night.  He tells me that my car will be fine in the parking lot and we walk over to his.  It is a short drive over to his apartment.

 

It's well after 2:00 am and I'm beat.  Zeke seems to realize this because as soon as we are in his house, he shows me where the bathroom is and then where the spare bedroom is.  I quickly thank him and get ready for bed.

 

I've finally pulled my pants and bra off and crawled into bed when I hear Zeke's phone ring.  While it isn't my intention to eavesdrop, unless I put the pillow over my head and hum, I can't help but hear Zeke's side of the conversation.  "Hey, dude you left early tonight.  I figured that you would already be asleep."  I'm guessing it's Four on the phone.

 

"Yeah, I know she isn't home yet.  She just went to bed."  And, even though Zeke is out in his living room, I swear that I hear a loud voice coming through the phone.

 

"What?!  No, not like that!  She is in my spare bedroom."

 

“…”

 

"Well after you bailed we got talking.  She had some drinks so she couldn't drive home.  By the way, I heard the whole story about how you were out ridden by a girl."  Whatever Four says after that just makes Zeke laugh.  He finally catches his breath and tells Four, "Nope, you got hustled man.  She beat your ass!  Serves you right for underestimating her."

 

“…”

 

"Well, like I said, we talked.  I heard all about your 'training lesson' and barrel race."

 

“…”

 

"Yeah, yeah.  Keep telling yourself that.  But after that we got talking about experiences growing up, college, you know life-stuff."

 

“…”

 

"No, I'm not hitting on her.  I guy can talk to a girl without hitting on her.  You should actually try it sometime.  You might learn something instead of assuming things that then make you look stupid."  This brings a small chuckle to my lips. 

 

“…”

 

"Not fair.  That was Karen and that was like 6 years ago.  Fuck you, dude."  Zeke's voice gets weaker.  I guess he is walking away and then I hear the fridge door open and close and a beer bottle open.  Apparently he comes back into the living room because his voice is loud again when he asks Four, "So what was the deal with that kiss?"

 

“…”

 

"Yeah, she's asleep."

 

“…”

 

"Nope not a good enough answer.  You have never pulled anything like that.  Hell, I was starting to think that you didn't know how to kiss since I never saw you lock lips with anyone before."

 

“…”

 

"No, I don't want to watch!  Dick!  I meant it was more than a little out of character.  Everyone else in the bar thought so too.  You could have heard a pin drop when you walked out."

 

“…”

 

"Well I don't know.  When she wakes up, she can do what she wants.  She's a big girl."

 

“…”

 

"Yeah, I can call you when she leaves.  Night."

 

Zeke apparently hangs up his phone because it is quiet.  Then out of the blue I hear Zeke yell, "Tris, did you get all that?" 

 

Without thinking I yell back, "Yep."  I then proceed to fall asleep with a smile on my face.


	7. What Now?

**-Tris POV-**

I make it back to the ranch at about noon on Sunday.  Without pausing, I head into my apartment and jump in the shower.  _I smell like the bar!_

 

After I'm out of the shower and dry off, I dress in jeans, boots, and a button down, long sleeve shirt.  I head out to walk around the barn and look at the horses.  I want to relax and spending time with horses helps me do that.

 

I stop at different pens to pat necks and talk to the horses as I slowly head toward the barn.  I'm sitting on the rail of one pen just watching the horses, when I hear, "What are you doing out here?" 

 

Startled, I turn around and see Four.  "I think a better question is why are _you_ here?  I didn't think you worked on Sundays, except for feeding until my grandpa is back on his feet."

 

Four nods toward the far pen.  "I wanted to check on the yearling."

 

**-Four POV-**

Tris looks beautiful sitting on the fence looking at the horses.  Zeke had given me a heads up when she left his place.  I had assumed that I could get here and check the yearling and leave without seeing her.  I really don't know what to say to her.  Once again it's like I'm back in high school and can't talk to girls.  Well, no.  Actually it's that I don't know how badly I screwed up last night and I'm not sure I want to find out.

 

**_\--Flashback to last night--_ **

_As I pull into the bar's parking lot, I see Tris' truck parked there.  Well, I guess that means I have to look forward to singing tonight.  Fuck, I hate losing.  Well maybe beer will get me in a better mood._

_I stroll into the bar, barely looking around.  I walk right up to where Zeke is.  He smiles when he sees me.  Smirking a little he says, "So, are you looking for Tris?"_

_"Yes and no.  I saw her truck but I'm looking for a beer."_

_Zeke just nods and goes to fill a mug.  He sits it down next to a half filled mug already on the bar.  I kind of glance at him in question.  He knows that I usually sit in back, away from everyone.  He recognizes the unasked question and tells me, "Tris is sitting here."_

_With that I sit down on the barstool in front of the filled mug, choosing to ignore Zeke's smirk.  I grab my beer and look around trying to find Tris when I see her dancing.  It looks like she is with Edward.  What the hell is she doing dancing?  Just then the song ends and they break apart.  I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding.  I see Tris leave Edward and start walking toward the bar.  Before she is off the dance floor, someone pulls her back.  Fucking Eric!  I start to stand up when I feel a hand on my shoulder.  I glare over to Zeke who is standing there looking way more serious than he ever does._

_"Stay sitting here.  If you break the bar again, especially fighting Eric, you will be banned.  I was barely able to talk Tori into letting you back in after last time."_

_I don't say anything, but keep glaring at him._

_"They are just dancing.  Look for yourself."_

_At that I look over and see them dancing.  Where Tris had been smiling when she danced with Edward, she has a scowl on her face now, but they are just dancing.  As I watch them I keep clenching and unclenching my fists.  God, this song cannot end fast enough._

_Once the song does end, I watch carefully as Tris manages to get away from Eric.  I take a couple of deep breaths trying to get myself to relax.  Before I know it, Tris is sitting next to me taking a large drink from her mug.  When she finishes, she turns to me, smiles, and asks, "So, when are you going to sing for me?"_

_Zeke looks between us, glancing back and forth.  After a couple of moments when neither of us speak, Zeke finally breaks the silence and asks, "Sing?  Four doesn't sing?  He barely talks."_

_Tris does a quick laugh and tells Zeke, "Four lost a bet and has to sing a karaoke song tonight."_

_"Four lost a bet?" Zeke asks incredulously.  "He never loses.  At anything."_

_I don't say anything.  I just stand up and walk to the stage where the karaoke machine is.  It takes me a minute to find a song that I like and that I won't completely butcher.  Once I find one I take the book over to the DJ and tell him that I want to sing.  The DJ nods._

_Once the song currently playing ends, the DJ calls out to the bar, "Tonight will be open mike karaoke.  Starting us off is Four!"_

_God I hate losing, but I will pay up.  I start singing.  I can't believe I'm doing this.  I can tell that everyone in the bar is looking at me, but I only have eyes for Tris.  How has someone that I have known for less than 2 weeks wormed their way into my mind so thoroughly?  Everything about her seems to draw me to her.  Ugh!  Get yourself together man!  Finish this song and suck it up._

_The music winds down and I leave the stage.  I'm ignoring everyone yelling at me and just walking back to the bar.  I fully plan on plopping my ass back on that barstool and drinking.  I mean really drinking.  I know I can crash at Zeke's.  As I get closer to the bar, my eyes are again drawn to Tris.  She is sitting there smiling and clapping at my performance.  As I get closer to her, rational thought seems to leave my head.  Without thinking about what I am doing I reach out, grab her face, and kiss her._

_Holy shit, what the fuck did I just do?!  I need to get out of here and regroup.  Without saying anything, I turn around and head toward the door.  About halfway to the door it hits me that Eric was slobbering all over Tris.  I turn around and look at Zeke.  "You'll make sure she gets home safe, right?"_

_Zeke kind of stutters a "Yes" while he looks dumbfounded.  With that, I walk out of the bar.  I don't make it far.  After the door closes, I stumble up next to the wall and lean against it.  What the fuck did I just do?_

**_\--End Flashback--_ **

 

Tris looks at me and then looks back toward the pasture.  I can see her eyes darting around.  It is like she is trying to figure out what to say.  Since I still don't know what to say, I let her try and gather her thoughts.  Finally she turns back toward me and says, "We need to talk about last night."

 

I step forward and lean against the fence next to her.  I sigh as I reply, "Yeah, we do."

 

We both stand there for a minute or two looking out over the pasture.  One of the horses comes up to us and we both pet her.  I finally break the silence.  "I'm sorry.  I had seen Eric being his usual asshole self when you were dancing and it really set me off.  As I was walking back to the bar after singing, all I could think about was that I didn't want him or anyone else bugging you."

 

"So the kiss was because you were jealous?"

 

I stand there and start rubbing the back of my neck with my right hand.  "Yes.  No.  Sort of.  Ugh!  Tris you have driven me crazy since the day you drove up here.  It just all coalesced last night to the point that I acted before I thought."

 

"Four, I'm only here for the summer.  My grandpa is already up and walking around with just a cane.  A couple more weeks and he should be back to normal."  Tris looks at me again and continues, "I'm not looking for a fling or a one night stand."

 

"I understand.  Can we overlook this and still be friends?"

 

She smiles at me before saying, "Yes, as long as you mean friends and not friends with benefits."

 

This makes me laugh.  Pushing away from the fence I reply, "I meant friends.  Well I have some chores to finish at home before I need to come back for the evening feeding.  I'll see you later."  She nods at me as I spin around and head toward my truck.  Turning back and looking at her still sitting on the fence, I wonder if I was lying to her or to myself.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

After I have finished my Monday morning feeding and chores, I head into the house to talk to Sally.  I need to head out to check the cattle and ride the fence in the bigger of the outer pastures.  As I enter the house, I hear Sally, Tris, and Jack all talking.  They are all sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, but look at me when I step into the room.

 

"I'm going to take the rest of the day to ride fence and check on the cattle in the big outer pasture."

 

Jack nods as he says, "Let me know how much longer you think they can stay out there on the current grass.  We still have two months until the monsoons hit.  Everything is really dry."

 

"Will do," I answer and then a thought hits me.  "Tris, you haven't seen that part of the ranch.  Do you feel like spending the day in the saddle?"  I smile at her as I ask.  I catch a hint of a smile pass over Sally's face before she can return her expression to normal.

 

Tris looks at her grandparents before asking, "Do you need me to do anything today?"

 

Sally looks at Jack.  He shakes his head so Sally tells her, "No sweetheart.  Go have fun."

 

Like before I go grab a rifle and a box of bullets.  I walk back into the kitchen to see Tris setting her coffee cup in the kitchen sink.  "I'll meet you in the barn."  She smiles and nods so I head out.

 

I grab two horses.  They are both three year olds that need the exercise and the lesson that this ride will give.  I tie them both to the hitching post and head to the tack room.  I come back with my saddle and two bridles.  I'm almost done with my horse when Tris shows up with a saddle on her hip.  She quickly saddles the other horse then looks at me.  "Ready?" I ask.  She nods and then swings into the saddle.

 

I mount my horse and head toward the house.  Once I get to the backdoor, I dismount and start to head inside.  Sally opens the door right before I get to it.  She hands me a full set of saddle bags and two canteens.  "Thank you," I tell her.

 

"Be careful and don't have too much fun with my granddaughter." 

 

Before I can respond, Sally goes back in the house with a smile on her face.  I just shake my head as I walk over to Tris' horse and hook the saddle bags on the back of her saddle.  I then hand her one canteen and get back on my horse.  Turning him toward the pasture gate, I whistle and yell, "Rusty."  As I open the gate, the dog runs through with Tris following right behind.  Once I am through the gate we head out riding side by side with Rusty running in front of us. 

 

As we ride away from the house, I tell Tris, "Both these horses are about halfway through their training.  Therefore, do not let him get away with anything.  Be consistent with your commands.  If a command is not followed, repeat it until it is, even if you need to stop to make it happen."

 

Tris begins to look concerned.  She glances down at the reins in her hand and then back to me.  "Is there anything that I should make sure not to do," she asks.

 

I shake my head.  "Just give clear commands.  Whenever you get used to riding one horse, you know that horse and the horse knows you.  Most of the time you barely need to provide a command and the horse knows what you want because you have worked together so much.  In this case, be consistent and clear.  That's all."

 

Tris shifts in the saddle and looks back up to me.  "Are you sure you want me on this horse?  I mean I don't want to mess anything up."

 

This makes me chuckle.  "Tris I have seen you ride.  You're a good rider and you use your whole body.  A lot of people get lazy and only use their hands.  You don't.  You will be fine.  I wouldn't have picked that horse for you if I didn't think you could handle it."  The smile that graces her face as she digests my words makes me feel warm inside.  _What is this girl doing to me?_

 

As we have been talking, we intercept the pasture fence.  I turn and ride along it.  I look over to Tris and nod toward the fence.  "We'll ride along the fence.  Keep your eyes open for any breaks in the fence."

 

Everything is good for about fifteen minutes then we hit a really rocky area.  The fence goes right through it, so to check the fence, we need to ride through it too.  Tris stops her horse and looks at me.  "How do you want me to take him through this?  Do I let him find a path or do I tell him where to go?"

 

This really makes me smile.  I love how her mind works.  "Let him find a path, but also keep him going in the direction that you want.  If he hesitates, reassure him and nudge him to keep moving."

 

I watch Tris as she and the gelding maneuver through the rocks.  She is leaning forward slightly with loose reins, letting the horse pick his footing.  Every now and again, I can see her give leg pressure to encourage him one direction or another.  I don't think she realizes how good of a rider she really is.  This starts a thought to grow in the back of my head.  I wonder if I can get her to do it.

 

We have been riding in comfortable silence for quite a while.  Tris has been looking at everything as we ride.  She seems so happy to be out here.  This doesn't surprise me.  I love being out away from everything with just a horse and the dog.  However, today I'm having a mental argument with myself.  Part of me thinks I should leave well enough alone and just stay my normal quiet, reserved self, and enjoy the quiet.  The other part of me is enthralled with Tris and only wants to spend time with her, learning more about her.  Finally I get tired of talking to myself so I speak up, "We're going to be out here all day.  Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

 

Tris glances over at me.  She shrugs and replies, "There isn't much to tell.  I'm 22.  I have an older brother.  I just graduated, but you know that."

 

Her short synopsis makes me laugh.  "Tris, I think we have already established that you are very good at leaving details out, but that has to be the shortest life story I have ever heard."

 

Tris seems to be thinking over my words.  Finally, she sighs and tells me, "Yeah, I don't like talking about myself.  That's something I have noticed about you too.  I don't know anything about you."  As she says this a smirk crosses her lips.  "Tell you what, Four.  You can ask me any question, but you have to answer it too."

 

 _Huh?  She's tricky._ I roll this option over in my head.  I really want to learn more about her, but I don't want to talk about some things.  A thought skirts my consciousness.  "Okay, but we each get two passes."

 

"We?"

 

"Well with what I do know about you, you'll want to ask questions too.  So, we," I say as I indicate both of us with my hand.  "You can pass answering two questions."  When I see her smile at my words, I add, "And, no rephrasing the question and asking it again."  The guilty look that quickly passes across her face makes me chuckle.  _This girl is definitely going to keep me on my toes._

 

Neither one of us says anything for a moment or two.  I direct my horse around a bush in our way and break the silence.  "Well, to put us on even footing, I am an only child.  I'm 24, and while I have taken some college classes, I haven't graduated.  Where did you really grow up, since I don't believe you grew up in Denver?"

 

"Castle Rock.  It's a little town just south of Denver.  But when you tell people 'Castle Rock' no one knows where it is.  It's just easier to say Denver.  Since I already know that you grew up around here, why don't you tell me where your place is?"

 

"I actually have a little place just the next valley over from your grandparent's place.  They were my closest neighbors growing up."

 

I can see her slightly nodding as she takes in this information.  "So that one little road that splits off the driveway goes to your place?"

 

I just nod before asking, "Tell me about Castle Rock.  I can't say that I have ever heard of it."

 

"It's an old western town.  It was founded in the late 1800's.  The town is about 50,000 people.  This area actually reminds me of it.  The vegetation, etc. is similar.  Even the elevation is about the same.  It's at about 6,200 feet.  It's just next to Denver, but about as far as you can get in terms of feel.  The biggest event in town is the rodeo in the summer."  As she talks, she gets a wistful look.  I begin to wonder if she is homesick.  I have to keep reminding myself that she isn't here for long.

 

Silence settles over us as we ride along the fence.  I want to know everything about her, but at the same time, I'm not sure what to ask.  Does she have a boyfriend?  God, I never even considered that!  Is she going back home after the summer?  What music does she like?  And, on and on.  Maybe I should keep it simple.  We are just friends, right?  "What's your favorite color?"

 

She looks at me surprised and laughingly says, "Black.  You?"

 

"Blue."

 

She scratches her chin and then asks, "Did you play sports in high school?  I didn't.  Horse shows took up all of my time so I couldn't."

 

I rub the back of my neck before answering.  "Yeah.  I played football and baseball."

 

"That's a very short answer.  Were you any good?  What positions did you play?  Did your team win your division or anything?"

 

"I guess I'm okay.  I was quarterback on the football team.  We won state both my junior and senior years.  In baseball, I played third base.  We almost won state my junior year, but we did win my senior year."

 

"Wow," she says.  "That's impressive.  Playing third and quarterback, you must have an arm.  Did you ever want to play professionally?"

 

I shake my head.  "No, I had no desire to continue.  Sports were an escape for me, but not something I wanted to do forever.  I actually had scholarship offers for both sports, but I turned them down."

 

At this, Tris really looks surprised.  She then asks, "What were they an escape from?"

 

"Yeah, I'll be using my first pass now."

 

"Okay, fair enough."  Tris then laughingly asks, "So you were the star jock of the high school?  Rocking the halls, doing whatever you wanted.  Quarterback with a cheerleader on your arm."

 

"No, I wasn't like that.  I've always been quiet and reserved.  Zeke was really the only one to break through my walls.  Mainly, I tried to stay out of trouble."

 

Her eyes raise in question.  _What did I say?_ "What do you mean that you tried to stay out of trouble?"

 

 _Oh, crap._ "Uh, well, I've been known to have a temper at times.  Because of that, I've been in some fights."  I glance at her to see how she is taking this information.  I'm worried that she will be afraid of me now, however, I don't see anything other than curiosity cross her face.  Still, I feel that I need to mitigate this information some.  "I don't have a temper like that anymore.  I've learned to deal better with things."

 

She actually laughs at this before piping out, "Like kissing me instead of punching Eric?"  _Oh shit, she put that together quickly._

 

I start to rub my neck again.  I know it is a nervous habit so quickly pull my arm down.  "Yeah, kind of like that.  Eric and I have a long history, especially during high school.  How about you?  Any drama in your past?"

 

Tris licks her lips and is silent for a moment.  I think she is going to pass on this question when she answers.  "Not in high school.  I had a little drama in college.  A bad break up.  Let's just say that I'm glad I'm not in Las Cruces anymore and I don't have to worry about running into him."

 

I wonder what she means by a bad break up, but I feel like this is my opening to ask a question that I really want an answer to.  "So, do you have a boyfriend now?"

 

She looks at me and shakes her head.  "No.  You?"

 

I barely manage to keep a smile off my face as I answer, "Nope.  Never had a boyfriend."

 

"Ass," she growls.  "You know what I meant."

 

Chuckling I tell her, "No girlfriend either."  Looking at her out of the corner of my eye, I think I see a smile cross her face then quickly disappear.

 

Before either of us can ask another question, our horses crest a rise.  Laid out in front of us is a sloping grass covered valley.  You can see the herd of cattle far off to the right.  The fence extends in front of us for about a mile before it's lost from sight in the shrubs along the next rise.  "The fence extends about a mile and a half that way before it turns to the right," I tell Tris.  "We can follow it around until we are back behind the herd.  We can then check on them before we finish riding the fence."

 

We continue riding the fence line, asking questions to each other here and there.  I still have one pass, so I figure that I am safe with broaching this subject.  "Tris, tell me about your parents."

 

"Well, they are good.  My mother mainly does volunteer work.  My dad is a doctor.  A pediatrician.  They were good parents, very supportive.  What about your parents?"

 

"Um, not as rosy as yours," I tell her.  "My mom passed away when I was nine.  I'm not sure where my father is now."

 

"I'm sorry you lost your mother, Four."

 

"I came to terms with her death several years ago.  She's actually the reason I still live here.  She left me the house and property in her will.  I only started coming out here in high school.  You know, once I could drive.  We lived in town growing up.  My father would never set foot on the property."  I'm more than a little surprised at myself that I opened up that much.

 

Tris has a slight grin on her face.  I think she realizes that I just told her something very personal.  Quietly she asks, "So why do they call you 'Four'?  I have assumed that it is a nickname and that you didn't have parents like Frank Zappa."

 

"Well at least Four is better than Dweezil," I laugh.  "Everyone just started calling me that because it was my jersey number.  I think Zeke may have started it in middle school.  The name stuck.  So, is 'Tris' a nickname?"

 

Tris nods as she says, "Yeah, short for Beatrice.  Beatrice Prior."

 

"Prior, huh?" I say looking at her.  "That means Sally and Jack are your mother's folks.  Did your mom grow up out here?"

 

Tris nods before telling me, "She did, but she left for college right after high school and has only been back for visits.  My dad never wanted anything to do with living 'in the middle of nowhere' according to him."

 

As we keep riding, I find a partial break in the fence.  We dismount to fix it.  While I am finishing up the fence, I see Tris start to pull food out of her saddle bags.  She looks at me and says, "We were stopped anyway and lunch sounded good."  I nod, agreeing with her.

 

While we sit down and eat, Rusty lays in the shade near us.  We are just finishing up when he sits up quickly and looks toward the pasture, toward where we last saw the herd.  Just as Tris and I turn to look to where he was looking, he takes off like a bullet.  'Fuck!" I mutter and then glance at Tris to see that she has already stood up and is picking up leftover food and stuffing it into the saddle bags.  I grab the horses.  She throws the saddle bags over the pommel of her saddle, jumps on, and takes off after Rusty.  _Got to love that girl!  She doesn't hesitate in tight situations._ I'm right behind her on my horse.  Or, I should say I try to stay right behind her.  Watching her ride almost takes my breath away.  She hugs her horse and instead of going around obstacles, they hurdle them.

 

Past her, I see Rusty fighting a coyote.  Right next to the two lies a calf.  _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ I stop about two hundred feet short of the fighting and jump off my horse, grabbing the rifle as I do.  Tris, on the other hand, rides straight through the two.  As the horse runs into the coyote and Rusty fighting, the coyote has decided it is time to cut and run.  We can't have a coyote out there that is willing to take down a calf, so I don't hesitate to line up my sights and squeeze the trigger.  The coyote falls dead but I'm not watching it.  At the crack of the rifle, my horse had reared back and was now taking off away from me at a run.  _Fuck!_ Neither of these horses have been trained around gunshots yet.  "Tris!" I yell.  She glances up and sees my horse.  Without a word, she takes off after it.

 

I had only dropped one rein when I had dismounted in a hurry, but even that one rein dragging was slowing down my horse.  Every couple of steps, he would step on the rein and it would jerk his head down.  By the time Tris got to him, he had slowed to a walk so she easily leaned over in the saddle and grabbed the dragging rein.  With that problem taken care of, I turned back to Rusty and the coyote.

 

I double checked that the coyote was dead.  I wasn't cruel.  I didn't want the animal to lay there and suffer, dying slowly.  After I was confident that the coyote wouldn't cause any more problems, I walked to where the calf was laying.  Unlike the coyote, the calf wasn't dead, but it did have a large tear in its abdomen and a broken leg.  There wasn't anything I could do for it.  I began to chamber another round in the rifle when I thought about the horses.  Tris was almost to me and I didn't need a repeat of them getting freaked out.  Pulling out my knife, I quickly cut the calf's jugular and then held it down as its heart pumped its life out onto the ground.  I heard Tris dismount as I stood up.  She handed me the reins to my horse as she glanced at the calf.

 

"Sorry about the horse running off," I tell her.  "I train them to be around gunshots, but I usually do it later in the summer.  I take a rifle with me on rides, but 99% of the time I never need it."

 

She nods and smiles a little.  "I guess that means I shouldn't tease you about losing your horse?"  The way she says it makes it sound more like a question than a statement.

 

I laugh a little.  "I would have gotten him back, even if you weren't here.  He was tripping on the rein and would have stopped."  I pause as I see her smirking.  "But," I acknowledge, "You did save me a long walk to go get him.  Thank you."

 

I see Tris look at the calf again.  "Tris.  Tris, look at me," I demand.  "The calf had a broken leg and a large wound.  We couldn't save it.  I killed it so it wouldn't suffer."

 

Tris nods and says, "Yeah, I understand.  I know the why, but that doesn't mean I need to like it.  Do we just leave it here?"

 

"No," I answer.  "We already had one coyote that was willing to take down a calf, I don't want to give anymore a taste.  Worst case, we can give the bones to Rusty.  Best case, maybe we get a veal dinner.  Either way, it won't go to waste." 

 

I bend down and pick up the calf.  I carefully tie it behind my saddle.  I then call Rusty over.  As I check him for wounds, I make sure to let him know that he did good.  When I stand up, I look at Tris.  "Let's just check on the herd and then head back," I say as I mount my horse.

 

After making the short ride over to the herd, I'm able to see that they all look good and all are accounted for.  Instead of riding the fence back, we head straight home.  Tris breaks the silence when she says, "I'm starting to really like this gelding.  He reminds me of my barrel horse."

 

This peaks my interest.  "Do you still have it?" I ask.

 

Tris nods.  "I've got both my horses.  My barrel horse and my show jumper.  They're in a stable in Las Cruces."

 

I actually turn in my saddle to look fully at her.  "Why?" I gasp.  "Why did you leave them there?"

 

She looks at me in surprise.  "Because I'm only here for a month or two.  They are somewhere that they are familiar with.  I figured that I would just move them when I settled down at the end of the summer."

 

This really surprises me.  "We should go get them," I tell her.  "Anyway, there is a rodeo on the 4th of July.  There is barrel racing," I finish with a smile.

 

Tris also smiles a little thinking about it.  "You don't think that would be too much for them to haul them here and then haul them somewhere else at the end of the summer?"

 

This makes me laugh.  "Tris, how many times were they in a trailer going to shows?"

 

"Yeah," she says laughing, "There is that."

 

"Okay then.  How about we go get them later this week?"

 

Tris seems to think about this for a little bit and then answers, "Sure, why not?  It would be great to have them here.  I do miss them."

 

 _Good._ This means more time with Tris. 


	8. Friends

**-Tris POV-**

I'm scheduled to take the test for my RN in two weeks.  Therefore, most days I am cramming in studying.  While I can study on the ranch, the library in town has more resources and much, much faster internet.  I'm sitting at one of the reference tables, with books spread out all around me, when a pretty woman with dark blond hair walks up to me and says, "So I hear that you slept with my boyfriend."

 

My eyes bug out and all I can think is ' _What the hell?!_ '  I'm speechless for a moment before the woman starts laughing.  "Sorry," she says.  "I'm Shauna.  I'm dating Zeke.  He told me that you crashed there Saturday night."

 

At that, the tension leaves my body and I begin to laugh with her.  "Well, I'm Tris," I say as I extend my hand.  "But, I'm guessing you already knew that." 

 

Shauna laughs some more as she shakes my hand.  Nodding her head she says, "Yep," and slides into the chair next to me.

 

"Sooooo," Shauna begins, "What is this I hear about Four kissing you in the bar last weekend?"

 

I feel my face burn red at her comment.  "It wasn't anything," I try to convince her.

 

Shauna shakes her head as she says, "Yeah, it was something.  Four doesn't do that.  That makes me wonder what is special about you that has made our Four act so un-Four like.  When I saw you here, I thought I would introduce myself."

 

I'm speechless.  I'm not anything.  I'm so average that my picture should be in the dictionary under that word.  I'm only 5' 3".  I don't really have any curves that you associate with a woman.  My hair is just plain blond.  My eyes can't even pick a damn color; they fluctuate between blue and gray.  _There is nothing special about me._ I shake my head.  "There isn't anything about me.  Four told me he was just upset about Eric that night."

 

"Four and Eric are always upset with each other," she tells me.  "The lowlifes in this area have learned to keep their head down around Four or he knocks it down.  Eric is king of the lowlifes, but he is also the only one to even think about challenging Four.  Course Four wins every challenge.  Everyone else in the area respects Four, they have just learned that he likes his space so they leave him alone.  Just about every woman in this town has tried to sleep with him and he shot them all down.  Now you show up and without even trying, he has kissed you in a very bold, public manner.  Whether you want to admit it or not, something is going on."

 

I sit there and think about what Shauna said.  It doesn't surprise me that women hit on him.  He is probably the most handsome man I have ever seen.  It does surprise me that he doesn't date or hook up.  I know Zeke told me Four doesn't really date, but I didn't believe him.  I would also be lying to myself if I didn't say that I find him extremely sexy and enjoyable to be around.  _No, no._ Finally I look up at Shauna.  "I am only here for the summer," I tell her.  "Nothing can happen between us.  Plus, we talked about the kiss and agreed that we were just friends.  It's nothing."

 

At this, Shauna laughs.  "Friends, right.  Tell you what.  Why don't we go get a coffee?  We can get to know each other better."

 

I've already been studying for a couple of hours.  I could use a break, so I nod yes.  "Let me gather my stuff and then I can go."

 

A couple of doors down from the library is a small diner.  We grab a table and each order coffee.  When the waitress comes back with the pot, I also ask for a big order of fries.  "We'll split them," I tell Shauna.  She grins and nods.

 

"Tell me everything," Shauna begins, "You're staying at your grandparents for the summer?"

 

"Yeah.  When my grandpa broke his hip it really bothered my grandma.  She asked me to come and help.  Really, she does what she needs in the house and Four takes care of the ranch, so while I'm getting her garden back in shape, I'm not really doing anything important for her."

 

Shauna shakes her head.  "Having you there is probably a safety net.  Before Sally always had Jack as a backup, he can't help out right now.  Even if you don't do anything, I'm sure you are helping."

 

I hadn't thought about it like that.  My grandma is so independent and strong that I never considered that she just might need someone to back her up.  I look up at Shauna.  "Thank you," I honestly tell her.  "I hadn't thought about it like that.  It makes perfect sense.  So, how long have you known Four?"

 

Shauna laughs.  "Forever.  I grew up here so we've been in school together our whole lives.  Zeke, Four, and I always hung out together."  Shauna stops when the waitress brings a plate overflowing with fries and sets it between us on the table.  We both dig in and start telling each other about ourselves.

 

"So, let me get this right.  Not only did he suggest that you go get your horses, but he volunteered to go with you to get them?" Shauna asks smiling from ear to ear.

 

I nod, not understanding.  "Why is this such a big deal?"

 

"Four doesn't spend time willingly with anyone except Zeke and he never, I mean never, volunteers to help out.  Well, except for your grandparents and Zeke's mom, Hana.  He always helps them.  But, anyone in our age group, he does not help, especially women in our age group.  He must really have a thing for you."

 

"What," I squeak out.  "Four doesn't like me.  We're friends."  I take another breath.  "Friends only," I repeat.

 

"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that," Shauna chuckles at me.  Glancing at the time on her phone, Shauna looks startled.  "Oh, I have to go.  It was really nice meeting you.  You should hang out with us some.  Hey, come by Zeke's place on Saturday at 10:00 am.  We are going to go shooting."

 

I think about it and realize it would be nice to socialize a little.  "Okay," I tell her, "I'll be there.  Should I bring anything?"

 

"Nope, we'll have everything.  Hey, give me your phone number.  I'll text you Zeke's number if you don't already have it."

 

I write my number on a napkin and stand up to give her a quick hug.  "Thank you for the coffee.  It was really nice meeting you."

 

"See you Saturday," Shauna yells as she leaves.

 

Once she's gone, I ponder going back to the library or going home.  I think I hear my couch calling me, so I decide to head home.

 

The rest of the week passes quickly with lots of studying and brief encounters with Four.  Whenever I see him, Shauna's words echo in my mind.  _She has to be wrong.  Anyway, it's not like it matters.  I'm only here for the summer._

 

**-Four POV-**

We are going to go pick up Tris' horses today.  She said she has a horse trailer stored at the stable where the horses are, so we don't need to take one of the ranch trailers.

 

I see Tris walk up.  "We can take my truck," I tell her.

 

"Nope," she replies.  Smirking she tells me, "My trailer, my truck.  Just suck it up, cowboy.  You can ride in a girl's truck."

 

With that, we walk over to where her truck is parked in front of the apartment.  As I'm getting into her truck that I see the sticker on her back window: Silly boys, trucks are for girls.  _Great!_

 

As we pull out on to the asphalt, I notice a cable plugged into her radio.  Grabbing the end of it, I look at her.  "Do you have tunes that you like to listen to?"

 

She smiles and throws her phone at me.  "Feel free to play anything on there or if you have your own music you can plug it in."

 

Since I would rather learn more about Tris, I pick up her phone and plug it in.  As I sort through her music, I see a little of everything.  "Do you even have a favorite genre?" I ask chuckling.  I have noticed everything from heavy metal to classical while scrolling through the files.  _Is that bluegrass?_

 

Laughing, she says, "Not really, but if I had to choose, it would probably be classic rock."

 

With that information, I narrow my search and set the music to play some AC/DC.  As the music starts playing, I see a smirk form on Tris' face.  Glancing at me, she asks, "Any reason you chose 'Shook Me All Night Long'?"

 

I try and fail to keep the smile off my face as I explain, "I like AC/DC and this was the first song of theirs that I noticed.  Why?"

 

"Oh, nothing," she replies still grinning.

 

 _Uh, huh._ With that I keep scrolling through her song mix.  We chat about light subjects as the music changes.  Neither of us bring up the songs playing in the background.  I have found some good ones:  Aerosmith-Love In An Elevator, Bad Company-Feel Like Making Love, Def Leopard-Pour Some Sugar On Me, Elvis-A Little Less Conversation, Eric Clapton-Lay Down Sally, Journey-Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin', and Robert Palmer-Bad Case of Loving You.  Finally Tris looks at me and asks, "What is it with your song choices?"

 

I laugh.  "Still not getting it?" I smirk.  I then choose Heart's Magic Man.

 

"Nope," Tris says, trying not to smile.

 

"Okay, then how about this?"  With that I start Jimmy Buffett's Let's Get Drunk and Screw.

 

Tris breaks into a loud laugh as the first couple of cords play.  Shaking her head she asks, "Do you think you're funny?" 

 

No, I think I'm trying to tell you that I don't care if you're leaving soon, I want to take you to bed.  "Hey, you left me in charge of songs.  These just sounded good," I say instead.

 

"Yeah, right.  I think you're silly."

 

 _Silly?  I'm not silly.  Shit!  Am I silly?_ "Tris," I groan and then stop.  I can't say what I really want to.  Clearing my throat, I start again, "Do you want to stop for lunch before we pick up the horses?"  _I'm not fucking silly!_

 

Since we are just now entering Las Cruces, Tris gets off the interstate and pulls into a restaurant.  We eat lunch, still talking comfortably.  When we are ready to go, we fight over the check.  Tris insists since we are there for her horses, she should pay.  I just don't feel right about that.  Finally Tris suggests that she buy lunch and I buy snacks and sodas when we gas up.  I reluctantly agree.

 

After that we stop by the gas station, getting snacks and fuel before we drive over to the stable.  As we approach the stable I see a line of horse trailers to the side.  She goes about halfway down the line and then turns the truck so the rear of the truck faces the front of the trailer.  "The red one behind us is mine.  Can you ground guide me?"

 

"Sure," I answer as I unbuckle my seatbelt and jump out.  I stand near the trailer tongue and guide Tris back.  Not surprisingly she backs up perfectly the first try.  I drop the hitch onto the ball and start to hook up the trailer.  I hear her truck door open, feet hit the ground, and then the truck door close.  Next, I hear Tris mutter "fuck" under her breath.  I glance around to see what the problem is and see a guy walking towards us.  He is a couple of inches shorter than me with brown hair and green eyes.  I can see him running his eyes up and down Tris.

 

Before I can ask Tris anything, this guy yells out, "Babe, I missed you.  You didn't tell me you were going to be here today.  I'm free though.  We can go get lunch."  At the word 'lunch' he wiggles his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.

 

Tris stands firm and says, "Peter get the fuck away from me.  We have been over for months."

 

Peter stops right in front of Tris.  The leer on his face never wavering.  "If we're over, why are you here looking all desperate?  I know you can't stay away from me."

 

At this I've had enough.  I walk up next to Tris and coil my arm around her waist.  "Everything okay here?" I ask casually.

 

Peter looks me up and down.  He sneers out, "Who are you?"

 

I look down at him and coldly state, "Tris' boyfriend."  When I say 'boyfriend' I feel Tris jump slightly and then relax against my side.  It wasn't until she relaxed that I realized just how tense she had been.

 

Peter glares at Tris and then smirks at me.  "Don't plan on getting in her pants anytime soon.  She's got that..." 

 

Before he can finish that sentence, my fist has connected with his jaw.  "I think it would be in your best interest to refrain from talking anymore," I growl to him.

 

Peter stands up, holding his jaw.  He has pure hatred steaming out of his eyes.  Before he can say anything and before I can do anything else, Tris grabs my hand and barks, "Peter, just leave us alone."  She then turns back toward her trailer, dragging me by the hand with her.  I keep an eye on Peter, watching him stare at us then skulk away.

 

I'm still watching Peter walk away when I realize that Tris has finished hooking up the trailer and is cranking up the support wheel.  I'm watching her finish when she turns around with barely a glance at me, she walks toward the back of the trailer, grabs a wheel chock, throws it into the bed of her truck, and then gets in.  Taking that as my cue, I walk around to the other side and get into the truck too.

 

Tris is sitting with her forehead resting against the steering wheel.  I can see her lips moving, but no sound is coming out.  Finally she sits up straight and then hits the steering wheel, hard.  I reach for her hand to try and calm her when she sees my knuckles.  She grabs my hand, turning it palm side down.  After looking at the two split knuckles, she glances up to my face.  "I'm fine, Tris.  Are you?'

 

She sighs deeply before responding.  "Yeah.  I'm okay."  She shakes her head and then mutters, "I just wish the bastard would leave me alone."

 

I don't know what to tell her to make her feel better.  I squeeze the hand that I am still holding and with my other hand I slowly lift her head until her eyes are looking at me.  "You're allowed to be pissed or mad or sad or whatever you want."

 

This makes Tris smile for a second and then the smile turns into a smirk.  "So, I should be happy that I suddenly gained a boyfriend?"

 

I rub the back of my neck and sheepishly tell her, "It seemed like the best way out of the situation."

 

Laughing, she nods and says, "Okay.  Let's go get my horses."  With that Tris starts the truck and pulls forward.  Once she is in front of the stables, she stops the truck.  Before she gets out, she tells me, "I already notified the office that I'm clearing out today.  I need to get all of my tack too.  Can you help me haul it out?"

 

I grab her hand again and squeeze it slightly.  "I'm here to help.  Just tell me what you need."

 

Tris nods and exits the truck.  I follow her into the barn where she heads into what looks like a tack room.  She walks up to a locked cage and unlocks it.  She nods and tells me, "Everything in here is mine.  The trailer has a small tack room and living quarters.  Just dump the stuff wherever it will fit."  With that, she grabs an English saddle and a couple of saddle pads before she walks back towards the trailer.  I follow behind her with my own arms full.  It takes us about 10 minutes to move everything.  I must say, I wasn't expecting her to have that much tack.

 

Tris looks around and grabs a long, cotton lead line then indicates for me to follow her.  We head back into the barn where Tris walks into one of the stalls.  I stand at the stall door watching her with the horse.  It's a very large, dark bay mare.  If I had to guess, I would say that this is her jumper.  Soon, Tris walks out of the stall, leading the mare.  "Four, I would like you to meet Sophie.  She's my show jumper."

 

I let the mare smell my hand and then scratch her neck.  After that, I walk in front of Tris and go open the trailer up for her.  Without any hesitation, the mare steps into the trailer.  I watch as Tris expertly secures her.  When she's done, she looks at me and asks, "I forgot to grab some hay.  Can you go to the feed room and grab two flakes?  The feed room is the last door on the right." 

 

I nod before heading out.  When I come back, Tris has another horse standing in the breezeway.  I do a double take looking at the horse.  I look at Tris and then back at the horse.  Walking around to the offside, I look over the horse.  Just as I suspected, there is a Circle D brand on its shoulder.  Looking at Tris again, I tell her, "I trained this horse."

 

"Yeah, I know.  Well I didn't know when I got him, but I put it together the last couple of weeks," Tris tells me with a grin.  "He was a present from my grandparents for my 20th birthday."

 

"Well," I say still stunned.  "Let's get this guy back home."

 

With that, we get the horses settled and hit the road.  Once we are out of town, I break the silence.  "So, Tris, there is something that I have been thinking about.  Have you ridden dressage?"

 

She looks at me surprised.  Nodding, she says, "Yes and no.  I trained with it a little, but I have never shown dressage.  The last three years that I show jumped, my trainer had me working with dressage to strengthen my horse and myself.  Plus she thought it would be good for me if I decided to try eventing."

 

This is what I had hoped.  Show jumping, cross country, and dressage are so intertwined in horse shows that I had assumed she had been exposed to it.  That she actually trained some in dressage is great.  Taking a deep breath, I lay everything out on the table.  "I have a horse that I'm training that is light years ahead of everyone else.  He has been so far ahead of his peers that I upped his training as a two year old.  Now that he is three he has really taken off.  I hate to see him just end up as a working horse on some ranch in the middle of nowhere, so I have been training him in reining.  I want to enter him into the reining competition during the 4th of July rodeo.  I assume that you are familiar with reining?"

 

"I've watched it in some horse shows.  It's very fun to watch."

 

I nod looking at her.  "Here's the thing.  I want you to ride him in the rodeo."

 

Tris gasps and I realize I probably shouldn't have told her this while she is driving down the interstate, especially when she is pulling a trailer.  The truck sways a little before she corrects it.  When we are safely heading down the road again, she glances at me.  "Why me?"

 

"Number 1, you're a better rider than I am.  Two, reining is considered the western form of dressage.  You have dressage experience which will greatly help.  Three, you have competed in shows.  I haven't.  This horse is great.  I want people to see what he can really do.  You can show that off far better than I can."  _Four, we will have to train together extensively._ But I don't tell her that reason.

 

She is just sitting there shaking her head.  Tris hits the turn signal, looks in her mirror, and changes lanes to pass a slow moving car.  Once she is back in the right lane, she looks at me again.  "That rodeo is in just over a month.  There is no way I can get ready in that time.  My western riding is limited to barrel racing, trail riding, that sort of thing.  I don't know the first thing about competing in reining.  I can't do it."

 

"Did Tris Prior just tell me she can't do something?  If there is one thing I have learned about you, is that you can do anything you set your mind to."  Tris just sits there biting her bottom lip and shaking her head 'no.'

 

I need her to do this.  "Tell you what.  Ride him and then give me an answer.  I already have the pattern required for the show.  We can do a walkthrough of what is required."

 

She doesn't give me an answer right away.  She keeps glancing between me and the highway.  Finally, she asks, "You really think I can do this?"

 

A wide smile breaks my face as I tell her, "Yes, I do."

 

**-Tris POV-**

I pull up to Zeke's house at about ten till 10:00 on Saturday morning.  I see Four's truck is here.  When Shauna invited me, she didn't say that Four would be here, but I assumed that it was likely.  I walk up to the front door and knock.  Before I can even take a breath, the door flies open and Zeke jumps out, engulfing me in a bear hug while he shouts, "Tris!"

 

"Hi, Zeke," I manage to squeak out.  "You're crushing me."

 

"Oh, sorry.  I forget you are so tiny," he says as he releases me.

 

"I'm not tiny, I'm petite," I mutter scowling at him.

 

"Okay, _petite_.  But isn't petite a synonym for tiny?" Zeke says laughing.

 

I then hear Shauna speak up, "Let the girl in, Zeke."

 

Zeke stands to the side and sweeps his arms toward the door indicating that I should enter.  As I step into the living room, Zeke tells me, "Tris, you don't need to knock next time.  You are always welcome."

 

"Yeah, as someone who has walked in on them going at it on the couch before, knocking before you enter this house is always a good idea," Four grumbles.

 

Zeke just smirks at Four before glancing at everyone else.  "Are we ready?" he asks excitedly.

 

Everyone says yes so we file out of the house.  I see Shauna and Zeke heading over to a truck and see Four heading to his.  Before I can ask where we're going, Four turns and looks at me with a lopsided grin on his face, "Get in.  This time you can ride with me."

 

Once we are in and settled, Four pulls away from the house and heads out of town.  I glance around the interior of the cab, then direct my attention to the radio.  "Sorry," Four says.  "Old truck with an old radio.  It doesn't play mp3s.  I have to make due with CDs.  There are several in the glovebox if you want to choose one."

 

Opening the glovebox I see several CDs.  I grab them and shuffle through them.  I'm surprised to find The Who, Queen, Garth Brooks, George Jones, and Aerosmith.  It's not that much different from what is on my phone.  In fact I think I have all of these CDs myself.  I smile a little thinking about the fact that we like the same music.  I grab the Garth Brooks CD and put it in the radio.

 

"So where are we going?" I inquire.

 

"Just a little ways outside of town.  There is a draw where we can shoot safely."

 

Four is right.  It isn't even five minutes outside of town before he pulls onto a dirt road, following Zeke's truck.  In no time at all we are stopped.

 

Both Zeke and Four dig into their truck boxes as soon as they get out.  Four pulls out a rifle and what looks like a tool box.  Walking over to the rear of the truck, he drops the tailgate.  Four sets everything down and then opens the toolbox.  I see that it is filled with ammunition and what looks like a pistol.

 

Zeke brings his stuff over and sets it next to Four's.  "What do you want to shoot first?" Zeke asks.  Four shrugs and looks at me.

 

"Do whatever you guys want.  Don't worry about me," I tell them.

 

Zeke looks over everything on the tailgate.  Looking at me he says, "Well we have two 9mm pistols, a shotgun, a .30-.30, and a .22.  Pick your poison."

 

I shake my head.  "Really, guys, it doesn't matter to me.  But I've only ever shot rifles and shotguns.  I don't know anything about pistols."

 

While we were talking, I notice Shauna has been setting up 'targets.'  The targets consist of empty metal vegetable cans, two liter soda bottles, some soda cans, and even a couple of cardboard boxes.  As she walks over to us, I hear her insert her opinion.  "Since Tris hasn't fired a pistol, why don't we teach her that first."

 

Four smiles at me while he grabs his pistol and box of ammunition.  He quickly shows me the safety, how to drop the magazine, and how to chamber or clear a round by pulling back the slide.  We then walk over in front of a line of targets.  Four hands me some ear plugs.  Once I have them in, he hands me the pistol.  I double check that it is on safe and turn to face the targets.

 

"Okay, Tris," Four tells me.  "Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.  Hold the pistol with both hands.  Keep your arms out in front of you, firm, but not stiff.  Bend your arms a little.  Your arms will absorb the recoil."

 

I try to stand the way Four told me, but something must be off, because he softly chuckles.  I glare at him so he steps behind me.  I had expected him to walk away, but instead, I feel him wrap his arms around me, bringing his chest up tight to my back.  He puts his hands over mine.  I feel his mouth against my ear when he tells me, "Move the pistol and aim.  When you are ready, squeeze the trigger."  I bite my lip to stop the shiver that threatens from feeling his lips against my ear.  I choose my target, raise the pistol, and take rough aim.  I then inhale, exhale, finish my aim, and fire.  Four's hands on mine stop the full kickback of the pistol.  The can that I was aiming at is still there.  _Crap!_

 

Four rumbles in my ear, "Do it again."  So, I do.  This time the can kicks back into the slope from the bullet impact.

 

I feel cold on my back before I register that Four is stepping away from me.  As he releases me he says, "Try it on your own."

 

I nod at him thinking about what it felt like to have his body wrapped around mine.  I take a deep breath, clear my head, and then take aim again.  The kick back is much more significant without his help, but not something that I can't handle.  Again I hit the can that I was aiming for.  I continue firing until the magazine is empty.

 

Looking over at Four, I smile and see him smile back at me.  I know it was a short distance with big targets, but I'm proud of myself.  I also find that I like it when Four smiles, especially when he smiles because of me.  I look over to Zeke and Shauna and see them sharing glances between each other with smiles on their faces.

 

After that we all take turns with the pistols.  I'm really having fun shooting and laughing with everyone.  Finally Zeke suggests that we move to the long guns.  Zeke being Zeke, he says, "Let's make this interesting.  Who's up for a wager?"

 

Four laughs at him, "Zeke, what the hell are we going to bet?  We don't have anything with us."

 

"We bet what is most important," Zeke says, "Bragging rights!"

 

"Boys, you can just measure them," Shauna yells.  She and I look at each other.  As we lock eyes, we both start laughing so hard that tears are rolling out of our eyes.  By the time we are able to catch our breath and look at the guys, they are both staring at us like we have lost our minds.

 

Shauna tries to stand upright saying, "Okay, okay."  Finally, she takes a deep breath and looks like she has recovered.  Looking at Zeke, she says, "Really, Zeke?  Do you think it would be fair to have a shooting contest with Tris?  It's not like she is out here every other week like you are."

 

A smile quickly gathers on my face before I am able to clear it.  I don't want to give anything away.  When I look at Four though, he has a quizzical look and is studying me.  _Crap, he may have seen the smile._

 

We quickly decide on the rules.  It will be five shots with the .30-.30, five with the shotgun, and ten with the .22.  The shotgun targets will be two liter bottles at about 50 yards.  The .30-.30 targets will be vegetable cans at 100 yards.  The .22 targets will be actual targets drawn on the cardboard boxes; one box for each of us.  We place the .22 targets out around 200 yards.  We also decide that at least two of the .22 shots need to be taken while standing.

 

Right before we start, Zeke tells everyone, "I think we should guess who will win?  We can write it down and see who is right."  We all look at each other and kind of shrug.  Sure, why not?  Without thinking much about it, I write down Four.  I fold up my paper and write my name on the outside.  Finally, I hand it to Zeke and grab the .22.

 

When it looks like everyone it ready, we start.  I manage to get all of my .22 shots within the bullseye on my target.  _Yes!_ I may be rusty, but I knew I could do it.  Next I work on the .30-.30 where I am able to hit all of my targets.  Last is the shotgun.  With my small size, I always have to be careful with the shotgun.  I take my time and nail all of my targets.

 

Zeke and Four hit all of the shotgun and .30-.30 targets.  Shauna missed one.  As a group we walk out to where the .22 targets are.  Zeke and Four are going back and forth about which one is a better shot.  Shauna and I look at each other again and smirk.  _Boys!_ When we get to the targets, it is easy to see that everyone did real well.  However, I was the only one to get all bullseyes.  Four had one shot just outside of the center.  Zeke stands there looking at each box again and again.  He then turns and looks at me.

 

"Where the hell did you learn to shoot?" he demands.

 

I laugh and tell him, "My grandpa taught me years ago.  He even gave me a .22 for my 15th birthday.  When I was bored, I would ride out to a nearby canyon and plink."

 

Zeke just stands there shaking his head.  "Wow, Four," Zeke snickers.  "She can out ride _AND_ out shoot you.  Are you sure you're a cowboy?"

 

Shauna and I start laughing as we hear Four tell Zeke, "Bite me!"

 

We grab our targets and start walking back to the trucks.  "So who did everyone pick beforehand?" I ask.

 

At my words, Zeke says, "Oh, yeah," and runs to his truck.  He comes back with four sheets of paper.  The first paper he unfolds has 'Zeke' written on the outside.

 

"Well, I chose the best looking guy here," Zeke brags, but before he can finish Four interrupts him with, "You chose me?  Thanks!"

 

"Hey, douche, not you.  Me!"  Zeke them fluffs his very short hair and strikes a pose.  "I'm gorgeous!"

 

As we all start laughing, Shauna pipes up with, "Who did everyone else pick?"

 

Zeke unfolds my pick next.  "Tris chose Four."  Looking at me he shakes his head.  "Honey, you should have known better.  But, moving on.  Shauna chose Four.  You know guys, I'm not feeling the love right now.  Last, we have the mighty Four.  And, he chose … Tris!"

 

We all turn and look at Four in surprise.  "What?" he says looking back at us.  "After everything else she has done, I was hedging my bet."


	9. Training

**-Tris POV-**

I'm sitting on my couch studying on Sunday afternoon, when I hear a knock on the door.  Getting up, I shuffle over and open it up.  Standing there looking at me quizzically is Four.  "Hey, what's up?" I inquire.

 

Four looks even more confused as he says, "We agreed to meet at 2:00 for you to ride my reining horse, right?"

 

"Yeah, but it's only..."  My voice drops off as I look at the time on the microwave.  I see it is almost 2:30.  "Oops.  I guess I lost track of time studying.  Come on in.  I'll go get changed."  I stand aside for Four to come it.  As he walks in, I realize that am in oversized sweats with my hair in a messy bun.  Definitely not flattering clothes.  "You caught me in my very sexy, ultra comfortable clothes."

 

At my words, Four smiles.  "Ah, but you rock the sweats.  Very sexy."

 

I'm walking toward my bedroom, shaking my head.  I look over my shoulder and smirk.  "Four, it you think these are sexy, you've never seen sexy.  I could rock your world."

 

As I close my bedroom door, I hear, "Promises, promises, Tris."

 

I quickly change and head back into the living room.  Four is lounging against the kitchen counter drinking a glass of water.  "Make yourself at home."

 

I see half a smirk form on his face as he responds, "I did."

 

I laugh as I open the door.  "Come on.  Supposedly some backwoods yahoo has a horse that he thinks is worth something.  I need to go take a look."  As the smirk falls off Four's face, I laugh more.  I swear I hear him muttering 'backwoods yahoo' as he walks past me and out the door.

 

I trot after Four to catch up with him.  Elbowing him in the side, I ask, "What's wrong, big boy?  Can't take a little verbal abuse?"

 

Four smiles down at me.  "Oh, I think I can handle anything that you do to me."

 

The double entendre of that statement makes me quickly swallow, trying to wet my suddenly dry throat.

 

As we walk to the arena, Four and I keep joking with each other.  I'm surprised though when he asks, "So, when do I get to see you in sexy clothes?"

 

"I don't think you could handle it, Four.  You thought my baggy sweats were sexy.  Seeing me in heels and a dress might just be too much."

 

"I guess we need to test your assumption," Four tells me with a smug grin.

 

"Well, I don't know when we can do that.  There isn't anywhere around here where I can go dressed up."

 

"Sounds like you are trying to weasel out of this, if you ask me."

 

"Maybe I'm just trying to help my grandparents.  You seeing me all dressed up might make you hyperventilate.  You could then pass out, hitting your head.  Before I know it, you're out of work and my grandparents are in the lurch."

 

At this, Four really laughs.  "You are really confident in your appearance and your effect on me."

 

"Not really," I say.  "It's just fun to tease you."  I look up at Four to see him looking down at me.  I'm surprised to see his eyes dark and dilated.  The look on his face makes me stop in my tracks.  Four takes one step toward me almost closing the gap between us. 

 

We stare at each other until he clears his throat and takes half a step back.  "Eh, we need to get to the arena.  I left Cisco there, ready for us."

 

I nod.  "Yeah, let's check out your star student."  With that we both turn and continue to the arena.  Standing to the side of the arena is a blood bay horse.  He looks to be about 15 hands.  He is lean and muscular.  His features are very refined and he looks at us as we walk up, his ears raised in interest.

 

As I climb over the fence to enter the arena, I notice that he is saddled with one of my saddles.  I look over to Four in question, glancing back at the saddle.  He notices my look.  "I assumed that you would be more comfortable in your saddle.  Plus you don't need a specialized saddle for reining."

 

As I introduce myself to Cisco, I notice that he has alert, intelligent eyes.  I'm still rubbing his neck when Four speaks up.  "Why don't you take him for a spin?  Try whatever you want.  I warmed him up, so feel free to let loose."

 

I do just what Four suggested.  I run Cisco through his paces.  I'm really surprised.  He is a joy to ride as well as quick and nimble.  After about 15 minutes, I ride back to where Four is leaning against the arena fence.  I stop and jump off.  Patting Cisco on the neck, I can tell that I am smiling ear to ear.  Four looks at me and chuckles.  "So the backwoods yahoo didn't lead you wrong?"

 

I turn to Four.  "You were completely right.  He's great!  I have ridden some roping horses before and they always had what we called 'power steering,' but if anything, he is better.  He's fast.  He's agile.  He tries hard and you've done an outstanding job.  He is very well trained."  As I say the last part, I look directly at Four.  I know that we were joking with each other before this, and I want him to know that I am serious when I tell him this.

 

I see a look of pride cross his face before a smile spreads.  "Thank you.  I thought you would like him."

 

"Before I make a decision, what is involved in a reining event?"

 

If anything, the smile on Four's face grows larger.  He walks up to Cisco, patting his neck.  "The whole point is to showcase a horse that is the ultimate working horse.  You have to go through a set pattern.  The horse has to do exactly what is asked with little to no identifiable cues from the rider.  The maneuvers are simple in nature.  There is a sliding stop, spins, backing, large circles and small circles, and flying lead changes."

 

"I've never done sliding stops or spins."

 

"Why don't we meet for two hours each afternoon.  I know that you are studying most mornings.  You can learn the maneuvers.  Once you take your test, we can start practicing one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon.  Breaking it up will keep him from getting bored with the pattern."

 

"Okay, I can make that work.  But, I'm heading to Albuquerque Thursday afternoon.  I take my NCLEX exam on Friday."

 

"We'll talk about our schedule on Wednesday then.  We can decide then whether to meet next weekend.  Actually, I can drive up with you if you'd like.  I'm sure that I could get away for a short amount of time."

 

"Thank you," I smile.  "That's nice of you to offer, but Shauna is actually going with me.  When she found out I was going to Albuquerque, she jumped at the chance to spend the day there."

 

"Yeah, I can see that," Four laughs.  "She likes going to town.  Or what she considers a real town.  So you are just going to take your test and then come home?  No staying in town to celebrate afterwards?"

 

"You're assuming that I'm going to pass.  I'm not certain that I will.  I know I have a good shot, but I'm worried."

 

"Of course you are going to pass.  You will do great.  Tell you what.  We can make plans to go to Las Cruces to celebrate after you pass.  Anyway, you still owe me some sexy clothes.  We can kill two birds with one trip."

 

"We'll see," I grin.  Reaching over, I grab Cisco's reins and begin to lead him out of the arena. 

 

Four looks surprised and asks, "Where are you going?"

 

"I was going to go unsaddle him and put him up.  I assumed that you wanted to get back to your weekend."

 

Four shakes his head.  "We are already here.  We can get in some work.  So, get your butt back on, young lady."

 

I quirk an eyebrow at him before swinging into the saddle.  I settle myself properly in the saddle and then look at Four questionably.  Four explains how he wants me to work through each gait without any noticeable cues.  Once I am able to move up and down the gaits easily with Cisco, he waves me back over to him.  He explains now that he wants me to get Cisco up to a full gallop and do at least one lap around the arena, then return to him.  We do that.  Now Four explains that he wants me to start near the arena gate and gallop to the other end of the arena.  Once we are about 2/3 of the way down the run, he wants me to sit back hard and deep into the saddle.  If I do this right, Four assures me that we will achieve a sliding stop.  I'm not sure what to expect, but we go for it.  As I bump my butt deep into the saddle and lean back, Cisco seems like he sits down.  The feeling of him sliding is unique and very fun.  We trot back over to Four who I can see is smiling widely.

 

"Did you like that?"

 

I'm smiling back at him when I say, "Yeah, that was fun."

 

We go over some other simple things before he asks me to do six large figure eights in the arena.  He wants me to do them at a lope and to perform lead changes along every straight away.  After Cisco and I complete that, Four tells me to do a lap at a walk to help cool the horse down.  I start the lap as I see Four start to walk toward the gate.  By the time we have completed the lap, he has the gate open and is waiting for us to exit.  I glance at my watch and notice that it is about 4:30.  Time really flew by.

 

I dismount next to Four.  "I was going to tell you that I would get him settled, so you could go home, but I just realized that you will be back soon to feed.  Do you want to just feed early?"

 

Four glances at his watch.  He grimaces before looking over the horses in the adjacent pens.  No one is rushing the fence, looking to get fed.  "I'll help you and then work on a couple of things here until I feed at 6:00.  It's not worth going home and coming back."

 

I feel bad that I screwed up his afternoon.  Just then, my stomach growls.  It must have been louder than I thought because Four chuckles.  "It sounds like you need to be fed, not the horses."

 

"Tell you what.  Why don't we get Cisco put up and go back to my apartment.  We can have dinner and then you can feed the horses at 6:00.  I made you late today.  The least I can do is feed you."

 

Four seems to think about it for a minute before nodding.  "Okay, but only if you have beer too."

 

This makes me laugh before I say, "I do."

 

We quickly unsaddle the horse, give him a brush down, and put him back in his corral.  When we're done, we walk back over to my apartment.  Four lightly pushes me before asking, "What are you feeding me?"

 

"You know what?  I don't have a clue."  This makes Four laugh.  His laughing is contagious and makes me laugh too.  We are still smiling at each other when we enter my apartment.  I walk over and look in the fridge.  Not really seeing anything, I look in the freezer.  "How about hamburgers?  I think I have some buns."  I turn to go look at my bread sitting on the counter.  I turn around to tell Four, that I do indeed have buns, when I find him right behind me.  I didn't know he was there, so when I turned, it startled me.  I jump back into the counter and slip.  Before I can fall, Four catches me.

 

"I'm sorry," he grumbles.  "I didn't mean to scare you.  I was coming over to help."

 

We are still standing there, face to face with him holding me.  I feel a blush spreading across my face.  "Yeah, I didn't hear you walk up."  Four releases me, but before he moves away, he lifts one arm and brushes a strand of hair out of my face, placing it behind my ear.  I see his eyes flitting back and forth between my eyes and my lips before he slowly, carefully, takes a step backwards.

 

"So what can I do to help?" he asks me.

 

"Um, yeah, eh.  Not much.  I just need to defrost the hamburger and then make the patties."  With that, I grab the hamburger out of the freezer and place it in the microwave.  I then wash my hands and grab a frying pan.

 

Four goes to sit at the kitchen table than asks, "Beer?"

 

"Sure," I reply.  "They're in the refrigerator.  There should be some mugs in the freezer."

 

Four gets up and opens the fridge.  He looks at me in surprise as he pulls out two bottles.  "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing's wrong.  I just didn't expect you to like stout.  I really expected Bud Light or some fancy microbrew."

 

"Well," I explain, "I'm not a big beer drinker, but when I do, I really like a dark beer.  I like Guinness."

 

Four carefully pours the two bottles into cold mugs.  He hands me one right before the microwave beeps.  I take a long pull on the cold drink before grabbing the hamburger.  I dump the meat into a bowl to mix with spices before making patties.  I look over my shoulder to see Four watching me intently.  "If you want to help, dig through the fridge.  I'm not sure what exactly I have that we can put on these burgers.  Four nods and walks over to the sink.  I see him wash his hands before he starts to root through the fridge.  By the time that I have burgers frying in the pan, I see that he has pickles and onions sliced up.  He has also pulled out salad mix as well as ketchup, dressing, etc.

 

Once we both have plates full of food, we sit down at the table.  We drink our beer, eat, and chat.  I find that I really enjoy spending time with Four.  Soon I realize that it is almost 6:00.  I jump up, grabbing our empty plates and set them on the counter.  I start to put away the leftover food when I hear water running.  I see Four beginning to wash our plates and beer mugs.

 

"You don't need to do that.  I'll do them in a bit."

 

Four just smiles and me.  "I can have them done before you are done putting everything else away."

 

As I finish cleaning up the kitchen counter, I lean my hip against it.  Looking over Four, I really appreciate what a fine specimen he is.  His shirt sleeves are rolled up to just below his elbows.  Every time he moves, his muscles flex against the fabric of his shirt.  I think back to when I saw him in a t-shirt and how muscled he seemed to be.  I sigh, trying to clear my head.  This train of thought gets me nowhere.

 

"Since you helped me clean up, why don't I help you feed?  I've been wanting to learn how to do it anyway."

 

Four seems to think about it for a moment, then nods his head as he dries his hands off.  We walk down to the barn.  As we approach the feed room, I ask Four, "What do you feed everyone?'

 

Four walks into the feed room before telling me, "There is this dried foliage called hay that is the primary diet that I feed."

 

A large laugh erupts from me as I yell, "Fuck you, Four."

 

He laughs in return then yells back, "Maybe later, I need to finish up here first."

 

My face turns red.  "Ass," I mutter to which I hear more laughter.

 

We continue with the feeding, laughing and joking.  At one point he almost pushes me into a water trough, but I retaliate by dumping hay chaff down the back of his shirt.  I'm laughing so hard that I'm crying as Four dances around trying to knock the chaff out of his shirt.  Finally he gives up and simply takes his shirt off.  He shakes his shirt out, then inspects it to see if all of the hay is off of it.  He then turns around and tells me, "Since you caused the damage, can you please get the hay off my back."

 

I step forward to brush the hay off of his back when what is right in front of my eyes causes me to inhale a sharp breath.  While Four's back is strong, muscular, and downright gorgeous, it is the tattoo that stops me in my tracks.  The tattoo covers his whole back.  There is more ink than skin.  Flames lick up his neck, around his shoulders, and even around the sides of his ribs.  Down the center of his back there is a gap in the flames with five symbols shown in their place.  Instead of brushing the chaff off his back, my hand runs from one symbol to another, slowly tracing down the center of his back.  "Wow," I finally manage to eek out.  "This is some tattoo."  My fingers continue to trace the tattoo, moving from the symbols to major tendrils of the flames.  In the back of my mind, I register irregular bumps in the skin, hidden by the tattoo.  In the forefront though, it feels as if the flames are real and that they are burning my fingertips.

 

"What does it mean?" I finally whisper.

 

Four clears his throat before answering.  "Uh, the symbols reflect personality characteristics that I strive for:  bravery, selflessness, intelligence, kindness, and honesty.  I continually struggle with kindness.  The flames were partly to represent a cleansing of my past and partly because I really liked them."

 

This makes me laugh a little and allows me to re-center myself.  I take one more look at the impressive tattoo before I brush all of the chaff off of his back.  "You're clean."

 

Four starts to put his shirt back on as he turns toward me.  "Thank you," he says standing there with his shirt on but mostly unbuttoned.  He is looking down re-buttoning the shirt from the bottom up.  This allows me a partial view of his chiseled chest.  _Wow, again.  Damn this man is put together._ I smile a little.  "I'd say I was sorry, but you pretty much deserved the chaff bath."

 

He smirks before replying, "Maybe.  Makes me wish I had pushed harder when you were next to the water trough though."

 

"Well, if one of us had to take their shirt off, I'm glad it was you, not me," I tell him while chuckling.  "What else do you need to do while feeding?"

 

He glances back and forth at each pen.  "Nothing.  I'm done.  I'd say thank you," he continues with a smile, "but you took a 30 minute job and made it twice that long."

 

"Ah, don't tell me you didn't enjoy my company."

 

We begin to walk toward his truck, which is parked near the barn.  He stops at the back of the truck.  "So, back to more studying?"

 

I shake my head.  "No, I was at it from when I woke up until you stopped by.  That's it for today.  I think I will rummage through my DVDs and see if I can find something worth watching.  Unfortunately, my DVD collection is limited.  I was spoiled before with good internet so I always streamed movies instead."

 

"Well, I have a huge DVD collection.  You are welcome to borrow any you want."

 

"Thanks, I might take you up on that.  Well, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Four.  Goodnight."  He nods at me as I turn to walk back to my apartment.  I'm surprised when I get to the door to see that he is still standing there watching me.


	10. Before and After

**-Four POV-**

Monday starts like any other.  I roll out of bed, shave, shower, and then cook something to eat while coffee brews.  Grabbing a large cup, I head out the door and drive over to the ranch.  A smile spreads across my face when I think about spending the afternoon with Tris.  _God, I'm becoming a sap._ But, I can't help it.  I've never met someone like Tris.

 

As I pull up to the barn, I clear my head and jump into the morning chores.  I don't even realize that the day has flown by until I see Tris standing in front of me.  "Hey, what's up?"

 

She quirks an eyebrow at me, but doesn't say anything.  This causes me to glance at my watch.  "Shit.  It's 4:00 already?" Chuckling slightly, Tris just nods.

 

"If you want to go get Cisco," I tell her, "I'll grab the tack.”  Still not saying anything, Tris turns around and walks toward Cisco's pen.  I find myself watching her retreating figure before I shake my head to try and clear it.

 

By the time I have all of the tack out, Tris has returned with Cisco.  We work together to quickly get him saddled.  Tris finally breaks her silence, "So what were you working on that caused you to lose track of time?"

 

"Nothing significant.  There are always things to be done and often when you start working on one thing, it leads to another, which leads to another.  You know how it goes.”  Cisco is saddled and ready, but unlike yesterday, I was not able to lunge him to warm him up first.  The warm up will need to be part of Tris' practice.  I grab the reins and lead Cisco and Tris to the arena.

 

I have them work through the basics so they can get to know each other better.  I try to change up what they are doing so they are both learning, but not getting bored.  The training goes quickly and before we realize it, 6:00 has rolled around.  I walk to the arena gate and hold it open so she can ride through.

 

As we head back to the barn, me walking and her riding, she smiles at me and suggests, "Go feed.  I'll get him cleaned up and put away."

 

"You sure?" I ask.

 

"Yep.  Go."

 

With that I veer off and work on feeding everyone.  I'm just finishing up when Tris walks up.  Thinking about how feeding yesterday went, I start to smile.  Looking at Tris, I tell her, "Thanks for not helping tonight.  I was able to finish on time."

 

Tris snorts out a sharp laugh.  Grinning at me, she says, "You're welcome."

 

This makes me laugh.  "Tell you what.  Since you helped me by not helping me, why don't I pay you back for last night's dinner?"

 

Tris looks at me carefully.  Finally she asks, "I'm not sure.  I can't tell if this is just dinner or if it is the start of a bad joke."

 

"While I may later regret not using this time to play a joke on you, I was being serious about just getting together to eat.  Plus, you can look over my DVDs to see if there is anything you want to borrow.”  We have both been walking toward my truck.  When we get there, I turn and look down at Tris questioningly.

 

Tris sees my look and looks awkwardly at the ground.  "Come on.  You know you need a break from studying."

 

"Okay, okay," she relents.  "But only if you have Lords of the Rings on DVD.  I've been wanting to re-watch it lately."

 

Smirking, I tell her, "Theatrical version or extended?  I have both.”  Her head pops up and I see a large smile on her face.  "Do you want a ride or do you think you can find the place?"

 

If anything, her smile gets larger as she replies, "Oh, I think I can find it.  Assuming you weren't lying to me about where you live."

 

I shake my head.  "I'll get started on dinner."

 

I'm about halfway done with my spaghetti sauce when I hear a knock on my door.  "Come in!" I yell.  Turning, I see Tris poke her head in as I'm drying my hands on a dish towel.  "I see you found the place."

 

"Yeah, who knew there was a house down that little road.”  I can see Tris looking around the house with interest.

 

"Well if you want the grand tour, it's very simple.”  I point to the left and say, "Kitchen," then point to the right and say, "Living room.  There is a bathroom and two bedrooms down the hall."

 

"It's cute.  How long have you lived out here?"

 

"I've been here fulltime since I turned 18.  Before that I would steal away and spend weekends when I could.  The place wasn't falling down, but I had to put in a lot of work to get everything back in shape.”  I walk back over to the stove and keep working on dinner.

 

"You had mentioned that this was your mom's place and that you lost your mom when you were 9, right?" she mentions while glancing at me.  I nod.  She continues walking around the room, reviewing everything.  Finally I hear her take a deep breath and state, "You never talk about your father.  I'm guessing you didn't have a good relationship."

 

I really don't know what to say, so I just end up standing there, staring at the kitchen wall.  Finally I realize that I haven't answered her so I just shake my head.  Tris doesn't say anything else, doesn't bombard me with questions.  This makes me sneak a look at her.  She is just standing there looking at me with concern.

 

I open my mouth to start to speak, but then close it again when I realize I don't have a fucking clue what I'm going to say.  I half start to speak again, but my brain catches up faster this time and closes my mouth before it's barely open.  I'm still struggling with my internal dilemma when I hear Tris.

 

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here.  If you don't, that's fine too.  You don't owe me an answer or an explanation, Four."

 

"Tobias," I mumble.

 

"What?"

 

"That's my name.  Tobias."

 

"Tobias," I hear her softly repeat while she cocks her head slightly while looking at me.  Finally, she must come to a decision, because she nods while stating, "It fits you."

 

I kind of shrug my shoulders before turning back to the stove.  The soft sounds of footsteps tells me that Tris has walked up behind me.  "Does anyone call you that or does everyone call you Four?"

 

"Almost everyone calls me Four.  Most people don't even know my real name.  I mean I'm sure some people remember the name, but since about fourth grade, I've gone by Four.  Zeke definitely knows it.  I think Shauna remembers.  Sally's the only one who usually calls me Tobias."

 

Tris looks perplexed.  "I've only ever heard my grandma call you Four."

 

This makes me smile, thinking that Sally was keeping my secret.  "I guess she knows that I don't tell people my real name."

 

"Well, I'm honored," Tris says with a giant smile.  "Thank you, Tobias."

 

I reach up and slightly brush her cheek with my thumb before placing a piece of her hair back behind her ear.  "I like hearing you say it.  It's nice to hear my name again."

 

I see a slight blush rise on her neck and cheeks, but she is still grinning when she asks me, "Do you want any help?"

 

"Why don't you find the movie and put it in?  There's beer in the fridge too."

 

As I'm finishing up dinner, Tris finds the movie she wants and puts it in the DVD player.  She then goes to the refrigerator and gets two beers.  Glancing at me, she asks, "Bottle or glass?"

 

"I'm fine with the bottle.  Glasses are right there, if you want one," I inform her while indicating the cabinet next to her.

 

I see her open a drawer, close it, and open the next one.  "What do you need?"

 

She waggles the beer bottle and says, "Church key."

 

I turn and reach up to the window sill behind the sink and grab the bottle opener, handing it to her.  She opens both beer bottles, handing me one.  She stays standing next to me.  "So, what are you making?"

 

"It's just spaghetti.  I think it's done.  Why don't you grab some plates?  Do you want to eat at the table or in front of the TV?"

 

"If you're fine with it, watching the movie."

 

I nod and we both load up our plates with food.  Grabbing our beers and a stack of napkins we walk to the couch.  I turn the TV on and the movie seems ready to go.  As I'm sitting down, Tris tells me, "Wow, this is really good.  Who knew you could cook?"

 

I laugh.  "Yeah, well.  I need to eat too.  I might as well make stuff that I like."

 

We settle in and I press play.  As the hobbits venture out of the shire, I glance over at Tris and see her curled into a ball, leaning on the arm of the couch.  She looks enthralled with the movie.  I get up and take our dishes to the kitchen.  "Do you want another beer?" I yell.

 

"No, I'm good."

 

I turn off most of the lights so the movie dominates the room.  I also grab a blanket I keep in the living room.  I unfold it and drape it over Tris before I sit back down.  She smiles over at me before returning her attention to the movie.  When the DVD needs to changed for the last half of the movie, I notice that Tris is dead asleep.  Well, fuck.  Now what?  I don't want her to have to sleep all night on the couch.

 

I finally resolve that I'll put her in my bed and I'll take the couch.  I bend over and carefully pick her up.  I think she is waking up, but she just mumbles and cuddles into my chest.  I place her in bed and pull the blankets over her.  Before I leave, I kiss her forehead telling her, "Goodnight, Tris.”  With that, I grab a pillow and a blanket and head back out to the couch.

 

**-Tris POV-**

I wake up to a blaring alarm clock.  I look around and don't know where I am.  Worse, I don't know where that damn alarm clock is.  I move toward the noise and finally spot it.  I smack the top of the alarm clock, hoping it will turn off that horrible noise.

 

As the wonderful silence engulfs me, I glance around and think about last night.  I remember watching the movie, but I don't remember finishing the movie.  So, my guess is that I fell asleep during the movie.  So where is Four?  Tobias.  Where is Tobias?

 

I get up, find the bathroom, and head into the living room.  I see Tobias asleep on the couch.  Hmmm.  What should I do?  I sit down on the coffee table right in front of him.  I see a napkin sitting on the table, so I twist it into a long stick.  I carefully rub it lightly over his ear, then his cheek, then across his hair.

 

The attention works and I see Tobias waking up.  Suddenly he jumps, apparently startled to see me sitting right in front of him.  "Morning," he groans.  He looks at me again and asks, "Why are you sitting there staring at me?"

 

"Well, I was wondering where the hell I was when I woke up this morning, which by the way, was when your alarm clock went off at a god awful hour, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who woke up in an uncomfortable manner.  You're lucky I was feeling nice or you would have woken up to ice or cold water.  As it was, I just kept tickling your face until you woke up.”  With that I stand up and walk toward the kitchen.  "Where's your coffee?" I start opening and closing cupboards, looking for coffee.  "Never mind, I found it."

 

As I'm adding coffee into the filter, I hear, "Since you have your coffee, I'm going to go take a shower.”  I keep staring at the coffee pot and just wave my hand at him absentmindedly.  _God, is his coffee pot slow._ I'm sitting down at the table finally enjoying my coffee when Tobias comes back out.  "Thanks for turning off the alarm.  It started up again when I was in the shower."

 

I snort, "You're lucky you still have an alarm clock.  You should feel thankful that hitting the top of it made it be quiet."

 

I hear him chuckling as he pours a cup of coffee.  When he's done, I see him turn toward me, leaning back against the counter.  _Why is everything he does so damn sexy?_ As he blows across the top of his coffee cup, I see his eyes land on me.  He slowly takes a drink, still holding my eyes.  Finally he asks, "Would you like some breakfast?"

 

"I don't think so.  I think I'll just head back and get a shower of my own."

 

I see him smirking as he tells me, "You can always use my shower."

 

"Since mine is so close, I think I'll use my own.”  With that, I put my coffee cup on the counter and walk to the door, but before I leave, I tell him, "Thank you for dinner and the movie.  I'm sorry that I fell asleep.  You definitely didn't need to give me your bed."

 

There is a sparkle in his eyes when he replies, "Okay.  If it happens again, we'll share."

 

"I don't plan on it happening again," I reply shaking my head.  I open the door as I say, "I'll see you later, Tobias."

 

The rest of Tuesday flies by.  I study until it's time to go and train Cisco.  The training goes quickly and after I put him away, I catch up with Tobias in the feed room.  "Anything I can do to help?"

 

He looks up, smiling as he sees me.  "Nope, I'm just about done.”  He shuffles tubs around and then stacks the empty buckets before stepping out of the room.  I follow, closing the door behind me.

 

As we're walking out of the barn, Tobias throws his arm over my shoulder.  "Since you didn't finish the movie last night, do you want to finish it tonight?"

 

I shake my head.  "I think last night proved that I should just head home and go to bed."

 

He bumps his hip into mine while looking down at me.  "Are you sure?  I have leftovers and you can always crash in my bed again."

 

"Nope," I laugh.  "I don't want you to sleep on the couch again."

 

"Hey," Tobias drags out.  "I thought we talked about that.  You said we could share."

 

I look up at him and he waggles his eyebrows at me.  I shake my head and laugh.  "You're incorrigible.  Seriously though, I'm going to go crash.  Can I catch up with you after my test to watch the movie?"

 

As we reach his truck, he removes his arm and turns toward me.  "Of course.  Just let me know when you want to see it."

 

"Goodnight, Tobias," I reply as I walk to my apartment.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Wednesday is much like Tuesday and soon it's Thursday when I'm heading to Albuquerque with Shauna.  I'm glad that she is going with me.  I need her distractions to keep my mind from self destructing thinking about my test.

 

The drive goes smoothly.  We find our hotel and get settled.  After a quiet dinner, we both head to bed early.  Friday morning, Shauna drops me off at the testing center at 7:30 am.  She is planning on going shopping while I plow through my test.

 

I hate that the test is computerized, but at least I'll see my score when I'm done.  I work gradually through the questions.  I have six hours to complete the test and I'm glad when I'm done in just under five.  Well, 'here goes nothing,' I think as I hit submit.  The computer tells me it's working as I sit anxiously awaiting my results.  Finally the results screen pops up and tells me that I passed.  _Yea!  I mean fucking A!  Mental fist pump!  Yes!_ I leave the testing room, collect my things, and call Shauna.

 

"Hey, Shauna.  I'm done.  Can you come get me?"

 

"Of course, Tris.  But, did you pass?"

 

"Yeah...”  Before I can say more, I'm cut off by Shauna's scream.

 

"Shauna, you're going to rupture my eardrum."

 

"Okay, okay.  Let me check out and I'll be right there.  Oh, I'm so excited for you!"

 

I just smile as I hang up.  Getting this done is a huge weight off my shoulders.  Now I can get my RN and really move on with my life.  Well, that is once I decide on where I want to be.  I'm still not sure I want to move back to the Denver area, but I don't know where else to go.  For some reason, Tobias enters my thoughts and I remember to text him, letting him know I passed.

 

Just as I finish sending my text, Shauna pulls up.  I jump into the passenger seat.  We decide to eat lunch then drive back to the ranch.  As she pulls into the restaurant's parking lot, my phone buzzes signaling that I have a message.  I look at my phone and smile.  Shauna must see the me since she asks, "Who put that smile on your face?"

 

I feel a blush rising on my neck as I tell her, "Four.  He just congratulated me on passing my test."

 

"Uh, huh," she replies, but I'm thankful that she lets it drop after that.  We laugh and joke through lunch while Shauna tells me about everything she bought.  When lunch is over, we gas up the truck, get travel snacks, and head back home.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I wake up Sunday and I'm not sure what to do.  I have spent the last month studying, or at least, that's what it feels like.  I now have free time and I'm lost.  I text Tobias and confirm that we will meet at 4:00 pm to work with Cisco then I plop on the couch and look around.  Finally I motivate myself to go work in the garden.  After I get caught up on that, I head into the house and chat with my grandparents.  It is relaxing to just spend the afternoon drinking coffee and talking with my family.  Before I leave, I sort through my grandma's books and find a novel to read.  I sit down on the porch with a glass of water and the novel.  I'm still reading when I see Tobias' truck pull up next to the barn.  I go inside, change clothes and head down to the barn to help get Cisco ready.

 

I'm surprised when I enter the barn and find two horses saddled.  Tobias sees me and says, "I thought it might be easier today if I rode too."

 

"Okay," I tell him.  We then grab the horses and walk to the arena.  Riding side by side, we warm up the horses and then work through the reining moves.  Watching Tobias ride reminds me of our barrel race.  All of a sudden a thought enters my mind.  Stopping and turning toward him, I ask, "Will they have barrel racing at the rodeo?  I mean it's usually an event, but I'm not sure about this one."

 

He looks at me in surprise.  "Yeah," he says.  "I thought I mentioned it before.  You should enter that too.  I know there is a regular horse show going on that day too.  I'm not sure what classes there will be."

 

"Hmmm.  I never thought about that.  But, I don't have anywhere that I can practice show jumping.  Barrels are easy to practice, but not jumps.  Sophie hasn't been shown in so long, we would need a ton of practice."

 

I see Tobias's eyebrows draw together as he seems to be thinking.  Finally he says, "Let me talk to Zeke.  There may be someone around here that we could borrow some jumps from.  I know of one or two people to ask, but Zeke probably knows a few more."

 

I think about that and come to the conclusion that if we can find some jumps, I would love to show Sophie one more time.  "Okay," I say nodding.  "That sounds like a plan.  If you can finagle some jumps, I'll enter."

 

I see Tobias grinning, though I'm not sure why.  "Just promise me that if you start practicing your show jumping, that I can watch.  I would like to learn about that aspect of riding."

 

"Yeah, sure," I tell him smiling.

 

We continue with our practice and then pack up.  I unsaddle, brush, and put away both horses while Tobias feeds.  I'm just walking back to the barn when I see him exit.  He leans against his truck waiting for me.  I walk up to him and lean against the truck, right next to him.  I look up into his face and almost get lost in those dark blue eyes.

 

"You never came over and watched the end of Fellowship of the Ring.  Do you want to come over now and watch it?  I'm not sure what I have in the fridge, but I'm sure we can find something for dinner."

 

I think about it and decide that I would like to see the movie.  "Yeah, okay.  I'll come over."

 

"Good.  See you soon.”  And with that, he gets in his truck and takes off.  I take my time getting to my apartment.  I decide to change clothes then find my keys and drive to Tobias' house.

 

When I get there, I knock on the front door.  I hear a, 'come in,' so I open the door.  Once again, Tobias is standing in the kitchen getting dinner together.  I walk over to him and he hands me a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich plus a mug of soup.

 

"Sorry, it isn't fancy.  I guess I need to go shopping.  Do you want a beer," he asks.

 

"No, not tonight.  Can I get a glass of water?  And, this looks great for dinner.  You definitely don't need to apologize."

 

He nods and gets a glass of ice water for me.  We both then head to the couch.  He gets the movie ready then looks at me.  "Where do you want to restart it?"

 

I just reach over and try to grab the remote out of his hand.  Unfortunately he sees me coming and reaches his arm high in the air.  I don't even think about what I'm doing, but I move over him and get on my knees to reach the remote.  When I take it out of his hand, I exclaim, "Ha, I got it.”  I then look down and realize that not only am I straddling him, but in reaching up to get the remote, my boobs are almost in his face.

 

"Um sorry.  I'll find where I was before I fell asleep last night," I manage to mumble while I feel my face turn red.  I think I see him swallow hard as I sit back down.

 

I am mentally face palming and berating myself over the whole incident as the movie starts playing.  Tobias gets up and turns off the kitchen lights then sits back down.  We both start to eat and I'm really impressed.  For something as simple as grilled cheese, it's good.

 

I get caught up in the movie and am taken by surprise when the switch DVD screen pops up.  Before I can even move, Tobias gets up and begins to put in the second DVD.  I grab our dirty dishes and take them to the kitchen.  All of a sudden I hear, "Just leave those," from right behind me.  I think I gasp as I jump a little, startled.  I hear Tobias chuckle as he says, "Sorry."

 

"You don't sound sorry," I tell him as I turn and smack his arm.

 

He keeps laughing as he walks to the fridge and gets a beer.  He lifts it toward me in question, but I shake my head.  I don't need to fall asleep again.  We both go and sit back down to watch the rest of the movie.

 

As the movie finishes, I get up and stretch.  Looking at him I say, "Thank you for the movie, Tobias.  And dinner, twice.  I'm sorry I fell asleep last time."

 

He stands up too.  "I enjoyed it, Tris.  Except for Zeke coming over, I'm usually by myself in the evenings.  You're a much better guest than Zeke," he tells me laughing a little.

 

That makes me think of Zeke and I laugh to as I say, "Yeah, I bet.  But, really.  Thank you."

 

We both walk to the door.  As I walk out, I hear, "Goodnight, Tris.”  To which I reply, "Night, Tobias."

 

I make it home and fall into bed exhausted.  I wake the next day and begin everything again.  I decide that I should probably work Sophie and Moose, my barrel horse.  Since I have a plan, I head down to the barn.  I first get Sophie out of her pen and get her saddled in my English tack.  I walk her to the arena.  I work her slow and easy.  She hasn't been ridden in over two months so I don't want to overdo it.  When I get done, I'm surprised to see Tobias leaning against the arena fence, watching us.  I walk Sophie over to him.  "What's up?" I ask him.

 

"Nothing," he says.  "I just noticed you working her and wanted to watch."

 

"Okay, but I'm done with her.  I'm going to go get Moose and work him now."

 

"Do you want me set up that barrels for you?"

 

I shake my head at Tobias.  "No, but thank you.  He needs to get back into shape first.  I'm just going to give him a general workout.”  We continue to talk as I walk back to the barn.  Once there though, he goes off to do more work.  I unsaddle Sophie and put her away.  Next, I get Moose and saddle him up.  I laugh as I watch him almost bouncing as we walk to the arena.  He has always enjoyed his workouts and it has definitely been too long.  I spend about two hours working him and when I'm done, I think we are both beat.  My day continues with me putting him up, getting lunch, working in the garden and meeting Tobias to work Cisco.  His training passes quickly.  Afterwards, I get him cleaned up and put away.  I catch Tobias as he completes the evening feeding.  Like yesterday, we meet at his truck.

 

"Oh, before I forget," he tells me as he opens the truck door I see him hold up a DVD.  "Give me food and you can see the Two Towers."

 

I bite my lower lip, smirking while I consider my options.  Before he realizes what is happening, I grab the DVD and take off running to my apartment.  Just before I reach the porch, I feel hands grab me around the waist then I'm thrown over Tobias' shoulder.  He continues to the door, opens it, kicks it shut, and dumps me on the couch.  Before I can think of getting up, he starts to tickle me.  "What do you think you're doing?  You can't get away from me."

 

I'm laughing, squirming, trying to breathe, and trying to get words out, all at the same time.  I finally mutter, "Stop, stop.”  He lets up, but keeps his hands on my sides.

 

"I'll stop when you acknowledge that you can't get away from me," he tells me.  I shake my head and he instantly starts tickling again.

 

I can't take anymore, "Okay, I can't get away from you," I somehow wheeze out, still laughing and trying desperately to breathe.

 

"Ha," he shouts sitting down next to me.

 

I sit up and try to fix my rat's nest of hair.  About half of it came out of my pony tail.  I finally realize it's helpless, so just let it all down.  As I'm fighting with my hair I mutter, "I can't get away from you because you are a freakishly tall giant."

 

Smirking, Tobias reminds me, "You owe me food for my movie."

 

I'm still glaring as I get up and walk to the kitchen area.  I dig through the cabinet until I find a box of cereal.  I turn around and throw it at Tobias, hitting his side.  As he turns to see what hit him, I yell, "There's your food," and bolt into my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

 

 _Oh shit, what am I going to do now?_ I contemplate climbing out the window.  I don't think I want to face Tobias right now.  After about five minutes, I hear a knock on the bedroom door.  "Tris, is everything okay?  Are you mad at me?" _Nope, not mad.  Trying to figure out how to get out of this situation without being tickled to death._   Soon I hear him knock again.  "Tris, come on.  Open up.”  I'm standing there trying not to laugh.

 

 _Ooo, water._   I look through some of my boxes stacked along one wall.  I dig through one and find a large cup.  I run to the bathroom and fill it with cold water.  Just as I hear, "Tris?  Tris?" I open the door.  I see Tobias take a half step back as I toss all of the water on him.  He looks up, stunned.  I can't stand it and start laughing.

 

Tobias just stands there dripping, as I continue to laugh.  Finally he starts laughing with me but then he catches me off guard as he steps forward and wraps his arms around me.  Giving me a huge hug he proceeds to rub his wet hair against my face and makes sure that his wet shirt is stuck against me.  "Maybe I'll use you to dry off."

 

"God, get away from me," I squeal.

 

He doesn't though.  If anything, he presses his wet clothes closer to me.  I squirm trying to get away, but I end up with my face right next to his.  I'm staring into his eyes.  The intensity of the look makes me swallow hard.  I start to shake my head, but before I say anything, Tobias whispers, "I want you.  I think you want me.  Why is that so bad?"

 

I look down, still shaking my head.  "I don't know what the right answer is.  I'm leaving soon.  I shouldn't get involved with you."

 

Keeping one hand wrapped around my back, Tobias uses his other hand to lift my chin so I'm looking at him.  "Whether you want it or not, we are involved," Tobias murmurs.  I hear him sigh and close his eyes.  When he opens them back up he looks deep into my eyes.  "Tris, what do you want?"

 

I swallow again and then whisper softly, "You."

 

That one word opens the floodgates.

 

**-Both POV-**

Tobias crashed his mouth to hers.  Her gasp, as the sparks ignited between them, was lost in his kiss.  As their tongues worked to taste each other, Tobias pulled her closer.  Tris lifted her arms and wrapped them around Tobias while her hands grabbed handfuls of his shirt.  She felt him deepen the kiss and couldn't resist the moan that escaped.  Letting go of his shirt with one hand, she moved it up around his neck.  Grabbing a handful of hair, she pulled him down to her.

 

As oxygen became an issue, Tobias released her mouth and started kissing down her jaw to her earlobe.  Feeling his teeth nibbling on her lobe, Tris let out another moan.  Tobias moved back to her mouth for another scorching kiss before he began kissing down her neck. 

 

Needing to feel skin, Tris moved both of her hands to pull and tug, trying to untuck his shirt.  Once she had partially achieved her goal, she ran her hands up under his shirt, feeling what skin she could.  Breaking contact briefly, Tobias pulled his shirt off over his head, not bothering with the buttons, and tossed it to the side.  Without the fabric barrier, Tris let her hands run up his sides, over his back, and across his chest.  This was what she wanted: him.

 

Tobias moved his mouth back to her lips, thoroughly enjoying the contact while his hand ran up her side finally resting a palm on her left breast.  Tobias could feel her nipple harden as he began a gentle massage.  Bending down Tobias gently bit the nipple through her shirt.  Her answering moan spurred him forward.

 

Now being the one needing to feel skin, he moved his hand down her side so he could slide it under her shirt.  Realizing what Tobias was doing, Tris reached down to help him raise her shirt.  Getting it over her head, he threw it somewhere behind him, not caring in the least where it landed.  Tobias was surprised to see a tattoo of three birds along her collarbone, traveling down toward her heart.  His fingers lightly traced the tattoos then he kissed her deeply again.  A moan left his mouth as Tobias felt Tris lightly run her fingernails up and down his chest and abs.  At the sound of the moan, Tris lightly pulled on the line of hair below his belly button.  “Holy Jesus!” Tobias groaned softly.

 

He attacked her neck, traveling down, making sure to kiss her raven tattoos before arriving at her breasts again.  This time, Tobias gently pulled her bra down, exposing her nipple.  Being a gentleman, he didn’t want to leave it uncovered for long so he quickly put his mouth over it.  Rolling his tongue over and around the nipple caused Tris to whimper and moan.  Her pelvis rolled against him before she reached around behind her back and unhooked her bra.  Taking the invitation, Tobias pulled the now useless garment away and continued on his mission to her other breast.  As he suckled and bit gently, she wound her fingers in his hair, holding him in place.

 

Not being able to take any more, Tobias wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her away from the wall.  Turning, Tobias began to walk into the bedroom.  Laying Tris on her back in the middle of the bed, he hovered over her, placing feather light kisses on her neck and face.  Finally, he kissed her mouth to which she responded fervently.

 

Running his hands across her body, he marveled at how wonderful her skin felt under his fingers.  Tobias let his hands travel further down her body, exploring more.  When he got to the waistband of her jeans, he stopped, looking at her.  Tobias saw Tris nod, but before Tobias went any further, he wanted, needed to make sure.  Tobias huskily asked, "Are you sure?  We can stop if you want."

 

Tris shook her head, "No, we can't stop.  Tobias, please make love to me."

 

Her words hit him like a truck.  Tobias slammed his lips to hers, trying to convey all of his emotions.  Finally the air that Tobias could take in through his nose was not enough to fuel his pounding heart and he reluctantly broke the kiss.  Moving from her lips, he took his time kissing down her body until he again made it to her waist.  Hating the fabric barrier, he quickly removed her pants. 

 

There wasn't much light in the bedroom, but it was enough that Tobias could make out the beauty laying before him.  "God, you are beautiful," Tobias whispered to her.  Tobias saw her cock a finger, motioning him back.  Pausing to throw his own pants to the ground, he returned to where he most wanted to be. 

 

Kneeling on the bed in front of Tris, Tobias bent down and kissed her knee.  “I really want to taste you,” he explained while running his hands down her legs.  Dropping kisses here and there until he was near her underwear, he hooked a finger on each side.  He could smell her arousal, feel her skin, see her beauty, and hear her responses to him.  Not wanting to wait to add taste to the arsenal of the assault to his senses, he pulled the underwear down her legs and tossed them to the side.

 

As before, he ran his hands down her legs, following with feather light kisses.  Nudging her legs apart, he settled between them.  From that position, Tobias could see her chest rising and falling as well as her gorgeous sex, glistening for him.  He reached one hand up to massage her nipples while he wrapped his other arm under her leg and over her hips.  With her held in place, Tobias slowly licked across her whole slit.  Hearing her gasp, he leaned closer and drew her clit into his mouth sucking and licking the sensitive node.  Her moans and noises encouraged him, so he released her breast and brought his hand down to rub through her folds. 

 

The feeling of his callused hand on her was electric.  She arched toward his probing fingers.  As Tobias licked her clit again, he slowly inserted one finger deep into her center.  Plunging in and out, he could feel her walls tightening on his digit.  After a couple of thrusts, Tobias added a second finger.  Her breathing was getting faster and Tobias could feel her trying to thrust her hips toward his face.  As he really dove into eating her out, she clamped down on his fingers.  The feeling almost made him lose it.  The only thought in his mind was that if it felt like this on his fingers, he couldn't imagine how good it was going to feel on his dick.  He wasn’t going to stop until Tris had come loose, but he couldn't wait to make love to her.  Slightly curling his fingers as he sucked her clit, he felt her walls shudder and heard her yell, "Oh, God.” 

 

Tobias crawled up her body, looking at her flushed face.  She opened her eyes with a smile and leaned up to kiss him.  Before he could ask her whether she wanted to continue, Tris reached down, snaking her hand under the waistband of his briefs, and took him in her hand.  Tris couldn't believe how big he felt.  So hard and thick.  Tobias shuddered at the contact and released a moan.  Enjoying the feeling of making him feel good, Tris started stroking up and down.  Tobias felt like he was going to lose it from just that, so after only a couple of strokes, he moved his hand on top of hers, stopping her.  "If you don't stop, we'll be done before we've started," Tobias muttered.

 

Smiling she pulled her hand out of his briefs.  She then proceeded to grab the waistband and pushed them down.  Tobias quickly helped her with the task.  As he laid there, fully bare, he looked up at her face.  Her eyes were traveling up and down his body, soaking in everything.  Tobias saw her eyes dilate with lust as she bit her lip.  With that, Tobias couldn't wait any longer.  Then it hit him.  _Shit, fuck, shit!_   "Tris," Tobias probed with his deep, lusty voice, "please tell me you have some condoms.  I...  Well this wasn't planned and I..."

 

Tris sat up with a determined look on her face.  "Yeah, I have some.  But they are still in one of those boxes," waving to the stack of boxes against one wall.  Tobias couldn't resist the image of her sitting there, naked with her pert nipples standing at attention.  He rolled over and began nibbling on the closest tit.  "I think...”  Tris' voice broke off as Tobias' actions became more insistent and thought left her head.

 

She tried again, "Tobias...  I need to get up.  …  You know ...  for a condom.”  This seemed to break through his one track mind.  He reluctantly pulled back, but gave her a quick kiss as he did so.

 

"Yeah, boxes, condoms, somewhere.  Right?" he asked.

 

"Uh huh.  I think I know which box.  _God_ , I hope I know which box," Tris muttered as she got up.  He saw her move boxes out of the way as he just stayed where he was, enjoying the view of her bending and squatting either not realizing, or not caring, that she was naked.  After digging through two boxes she yelled, "Hallelujah!" and turned around with a box in her hand.  She walked back to the bed, dropping the box on the nightstand.

 

Tobias instantly reached into the box and grabbed one, but before he could open it, Tris took it out of his hand.  He watched her, completely entranced, as she opened the package, leaned forward, and placed the condom on him.  The eroticism of the action, the action of Tris performing it, caused him to shake when she touched him.  He didn't think he had ever been this turned on.

 

He started to move back over Tris when he felt her push his shoulders back into the bed.  Once Tobias was laying on his back, she moved to straddle him.  Tobias watched wide-eyed as she slid her body back and forth over his hard cock.  Her teasing was driving him nuts.  Not being able to take any more, he grabbed her hips and helped lift her up.  She reached down grabbing his dick and positioning it at her opening.  When Tobias saw she was ready, he released her hips, letting her sink onto him.

 

As she settled fully on him, her senses were overloaded.  He filled her completely, but the look of bliss on his face was what really struck her.  Never had another lover looked at her like that.  As her mind registered these facts, her body wanted more, so after a moment, she put her hands on his shoulders and began to rock back and forth.

 

Tobias couldn't believe the picture in front of him.  Tris looked even more beautiful with her hair messed up, sweat glistening on her body, and pure joy reflected on her face as she rode him.  Tobias reached up and took her breasts in his hands while watching as she engulfed him time after time.  As the feelings intensified, Tobias moved his hands from her breasts to her hips.  He helped her rise up and slam back onto his dick even as he thrust up to meet her.  Finally, Tobias couldn't take any more.  He nudged her to the side and she paused.  Grabbing her, Tobias rolled them over. 

 

He was still buried deep within her and her legs spread, easily accommodating his narrow hips.  Just as he had soaked in the image of her over him, now she absorbed the image of him looming over her.  His strong arms, flexed and bulging as he held himself up.  His chiseled chest and defined abs.  Her hands just had to feel him, to make sure he was real.  They roamed over his body as he started to thrust into her.

 

Through all of this, Tobias needed her to understand that this wasn't a one night stand for him.  As Tobias thought about everything that he felt for Tris, he was worried that he was falling.  And, falling deep. 

 

Tris was trying to understand her emotions.  She had never felt like this with anyone.  It was deeper.  It was more sensual.  It meant more.  She truly felt that this was more than sex between two people.  There was a deeper connection, but that was something that she was not willing to acknowledge yet so she let the physical sensations take over.

 

Tobias propped up on his elbows and wrapped his hands around her face.  As he continued his thrusting, Tobias leaned down and kissed her.  Worried that he would not be able to put this off for much longer, he changed positions so that he could pull almost all of the way out and then plunge back in.  Tris whimpered and moaned with each motion, driving them closer to their summits.  Tobias leaned on just one arm, freeing his other to reach between them and rub her clit.  After two more long slow strokes, Tobias could feel her walls start to flutter and he couldn't take it anymore.  As he started thrusting harder and faster, Tris screamed his name as her walls clamped down on him so hard that he almost blacked out.  As her climax set his off, he kept thrusting as long as he could, trying to prolong their pleasure.  Finally, Tobias couldn't move anymore and he collapsed on top of her.

 

When rational thought reentered his brain, Tobias pulled out and disposed of the condom.  Both of them were still breathing hard, trying to recover.  Tobias pulled her to him, bringing her lips to his, giving her a slow, loving kiss. 

 

She cuddled into his side, but when Tobias looked at her, she appeared concerned.  "Tris, what's wrong?"

 

Her eyes flit to his before lowering again.  She sighed and said, "I'm just worried about this.  About us.  Worried about how we will get along until I leave?  Worried about me leaving."

 

Tobias pulled her tighter against him and buried his face in her hair.  Placing kisses along her neck, Tobias asked, "Can we just enjoy what happened and take the next days as they come?  As for how we will get along, I don't see that changing."

 

He raised his head, looking at her.  Tobias brushed his fingers over her cheek.  "I hope you don't think this was a mistake.”  Tobias thought about everything that he felt when he was with her.  "Tris, I need you to understand.  You ...  this ...  it was the best that I have ever experienced.  There is no comparison.  Something like that can't be a mistake."

 

Tris looked at him in surprise.  Her mouth fell open slightly and she licked her lips before replying.  "I really don't know if it was a mistake or not, but, yeah, it was amazing.  It was my best time too."

 

Tobias thought about her answer.  Part of him was thrilled with her answer and part of him was worried.  He _knew_ this wasn't a mistake.  Tobias determined that all he could do was to show her that every chance he could.  Since Tris never said he should leave, Tobias sat up, grabbed the sheet and blanket, and pulled it up over them.  Turning on his side toward Tris, but keeping her wrapped in his arms, he kissed her cheek, before whispering, "Sleep well.”

 


	11. Afterwards

**-Tris POV-**

I'm slowly waking up when I realize that I am not alone in my bed.  I feel an arm across my stomach, cuddled into my chest.  When my sleep addled brain realizes that I am naked, and if I'm to guess so is the other person, I wake up very quickly.  All of a sudden, last night comes back to me.  A large smile is growing on my face before I recognize that last night made things very confusing.  If I'm only here for another month or two, what does that mean for us?  Is there even an us?  What do I want?  What does he want?  _Oh God, it is too early in the morning for these thoughts!_   I need coffee.  And food.  We got sidetracked from dinner last night and I come to the rapid conclusion that I'm starving.

 

Before I even make a move to get out of bed, I feel Tobias start to stir.  As he wakes up, he nuzzles into the hair covering my neck, kissing me.  "Good morning.”  Ugh!  As if his voice wasn't sexy enough, his morning voice is deeper and raspy.  Very sexy.  _Stop it, Tris!_

 

"Morning," I finally reply.  "I want coffee.  Do you want coffee?"  With that, I try to get up only to be held down by that arm across my stomach.

 

Tobias kisses my neck again saying, "That's not what I want."

 

I manage to wiggle partially out of his grasp before grumbling, "To quote the Stones, we don't always get what we want.  You distracted me from food last night.  I'm hungry and caffeine deprived.”  As I finally get free, I jump up feeling slightly victorious.  I glance around to see if I can find anything that looks like clothes, but quickly give up.  I walk over and grab my robe.  Putting it on as I turn back toward the bed, I see Tobias laying there watching my every move.  I quirk an eyebrow at him.  "You going to get up or do I need to get more water?"

 

"Yes, ma'am," he moans.

 

I head to the kitchen chuckling at him.  Coffee.  I get the coffee started first and then look to see what I have to eat.  I'm staring into the fridge when I feel two large hands encircle my waist.  "You're not very nice sometimes.  Do you know that?" Tobias asks as he pulls me back into him.

 

I turn around to find Tobias in just his jeans.  _Goddamn does that boy have a body!_   As he pulls me closer to his hard chest, I look up at him.  I begin to get lost in his ocean blue eyes when his voice drags me back to reality.  "I really want to stay here with you, but I'm already late for the morning feed."

 

I nod although I had completely forgotten about his morning chores.  "Do you want some coffee before you go?  I can put it in a travel mug."

 

He kisses the top of my head before telling me, "Yeah.  That would be great.”  I then hear him sigh as he releases me.  He walks over to where his shirt is on the floor before he goes to retrieve his socks and boots.  As the coffee finishes and I finally get my caffeine, I see him sitting on the couch, finishing getting dressed.

 

I walk up to him with the filled coffee cup, "I'm going to work Sophie and Moose again today.  I think we should start working Cisco twice a day now too.  I can do the morning workout with him by myself if you are too busy."

 

At that, he nods.  "I might be too busy today since I'm already late and I plan on running home to shower and change after I feed the horses.”  I see a grimace quickly cross his face, which is then replaced by a smile as he looks at me.  He gets up, taking the coffee cup from me.  "If you work Cisco this morning, we don't need two hours this afternoon.  We can meet at 4:30 or 4:45 this afternoon."

 

We both walk toward the door.  I assume that he is just going to leave, but right before we get to the door he stops.  Before I can ask him what's wrong he pulls me to him and places his lips on mine.  He slowly deepens the kiss and I feel his tongue brush against my lips.  Without thinking about it, mine joins his.  Tobias seems to realize that I am still in just a robe because I feel his hand start to slide through the gap.  As he palms my breast I stifle a moan.  Finally, reluctantly, he pulls away.  Resting his forehead against mine he mutters, "I really need to go feed.”  He starts to pull back, but then places a kiss on my forehead before he turns and opens the door.  Giving me a smile, he walks out.

 

Shit, what am I doing? I ask myself as I watch him walk to the barn.  Finally turning, I go back in the apartment.  _I mean what am I fucking doing?_

 

I get more coffee and make myself breakfast while I roll this whole situation around in my head.  At one point I think I actually started listing the pros and cons.  The bottom line to all of this was whether I wanted to keep seeing Tobias.  Based upon our brief conversation last night and the way he left this morning, I am pretty certain that he wants to keep seeing me.  But as I keep telling myself, I'm not looking for a relationship.  Can we be friends with benefits?  Can I deal with it if that is all we can ever be?  He was right.  The way we have acted toward one another, we were involved even before last night.  We had probably been involved on some level ever since that kiss in the bar.  By the time I'm done with breakfast, I've killed the coffee and haven't come to any resolution.  I pick up my scattered clothes from last night and take a shower.

 

I finally come to the conclusion that I have three alternatives.  One, stop everything with Tobias and just have a working relationship.  Two, begin a relationship.  But I just can't do that.  How can you start something that you know will end in just a month or two?  The last choice: be friends with benefits.  Am I really left with an all or nothing scenario?

 

 _Ugh, I hate this!_   Why can't situations like this ever be easy?  But when I think back over the last three weeks, I realize I have really enjoyed my time with Tobias and as an extension, with Zeke and Shauna too.  I have become friends with all of them.  If I am going to be here for another month and a half, do I want to spend that time holed up away from everyone?  Only interacting with them when it has to do with my grandparents or the ranch.  No, I realize.  I don't want to lock myself away.  I can't hide away, ceasing to live life just to protect myself.  Does that mean I've narrowed it down to one option? 

 

I need to get out of my head and I've got horses to work.  I head down to the barn and try to ignore the elephant sitting on my shoulder. 

 

With both Sophie and Moose, I work on getting them back into shape.  I can't do any serious practice with either of them until they're back to performance level.  I figure that it will take about two weeks of work to get to that point.  After that, I can work on knocking the rust off their performance.  They are both so well trained, that I know they will only need a refresher to get back on their games.  The show jumping and barrel racing is something I know well.  I'm not worried about that.  Cisco and the reining worries me.  It is all unknown to me and to Cisco.

 

As I finish with Cisco's morning routine, I realize that I'm ready for lunch.  I head up to the apartment, eat and then dive into some house cleaning.  I do everything I can to keep myself busy.  I don't want a repeat of this morning where I got lost in my thoughts.  At 4:30, I head down to the barn.  I don't see Tobias around, so I go get Cisco and start saddling him up.  Before I'm done, Tobias strides over and offers to help.  We quickly finish up and head to the arena.  We work Cisco for about an hour then wrap it up.  I take care of Cisco while Tobias goes and feeds.  When I'm done I head to the feed room, but find it empty.  I glance around but don't see Tobias so I decide to head toward my apartment.  As I exit the barn, I see Tobias's truck is still here and as I walk closer, I see Tobias sitting on the tailgate.

 

Walking up in front of him, I grin and say, "You got done fast."

 

He smirks at me.  "You were just slow.”  Tobias pauses and rubs the back of his neck.  Finally he asks, "Would you like to go get something to eat at the diner?"

 

"Yeah," I say nodding at him, "I would."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

After we have given the waitress our orders, we just sit at the table, staring at each other.  I open my mouth to start talking when I hear, "Hey guys!  What're you up to?"

 

Tobias looks apologetically at me when he replies, "Hey, Zeke."

 

I turn to Zeke smiling.  "They let you out?"

 

Zeke drops into an empty chair next to me.  "I haven't seen either of you in forever.  You haven't been to the bar and you haven't even stopped by the house.”  Zeke actually looks sad as he says this.  I really didn't think he had that look in his arsenal.

 

"We've been busy," Tobias tells him.

 

Zeke looks at me and then Tobias, then me, then Tobias, and back again.  "Busy, huh?  You were never this busy before Tris was here."

 

I shake my head at Zeke.  "Zeke, I was studying most of the day and Four has been working extra hours on a horse to show at the 4th of July Rodeo.  We have actually been busy."

 

Snorting Zeke says, "I still don't buy it.  I expect you both at the bar Friday night.  You-"  Zeke is interrupted by a waitress dropping off a large to-go bag for Zeke.  Zeke thanks her and stands up.  Before he leaves he gives us both a stern look.  Pointing at each of us, he says, "Friday night.  Bar.  You.  Both."

 

I cock an eyebrow at Tobias.  "What the hell was that about?"

 

"I really don't know," he says shaking his head.  He then pauses and glances at me uncertainly.  "I guess we need to talk, huh?"

 

I nod my head, not sure what to say.  As the silence drags out I open my mouth to start talking, but all of a sudden the number of people in the diner really hits me.  "You know what, I don't want to talk here.”  As the words leave my mouth, I see Tobias' face fall, but I continue, "Let's get our food to-go and head over to that little park down the road.  It will be light for at least another hour."

 

"Okay," he says as he gets up and walks over to the waitress.  He comes back shortly and says that they will pack everything up.  Before we even start talking again, the waitress comes up with our food in a bag.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I sit on top of the picnic table with my feet up on the bench.  Tobias sits near me, the same way.  We have been eating in silence since we sat down.  Figuring that I had waited long enough, I put my hamburger down and say, "I have come to the conclusion that I either stay as far away from you as I can or we continue as we are."

 

I see Tobias put his food down and wipe his mouth.  He still hasn't said anything so I continue, "I really enjoy spending time with you.  I already think of you as a close friend and I don't want to lose that.  Since I really don't want to avoid my friend, I'm suggesting that we stay as we are."

 

Tobias gets up and stands in front of me.  Putting his hands on my knees, he asks, "So, what are we, Tris?"

 

"Tobias, I'm not going to promise you a relationship when I know I'm leaving.  Can we just be friends with whatever else happens between us?  No strings beyond that."

 

His mouth forms a straight line as he weighs my words.  I see him turning the idea over in his head while his eyes seem to bore into my soul.  Finally, he leans forward and kisses me.  It's tender and sweet.  Leaving his lips right next to mine, he says, "Okay.  No strings.  I don't want to lose my friend either."

 

He kisses me one more time before moving back over to his food.  We discuss the horses and the upcoming rodeo while we eat.  The sun is setting as we decide to head back home.  As we are leaving the park, I see the playground equipment.  Smirking at Tobias, I take off at a run over to the slide.

 

Amazingly this park still has one of the really, really tall, metal slides.  They are so much better than the new plastic ones.  They might melt the skin off you in the summer, but oh you go so fast.  I climb up to the top of the slide and just stand there looking around.  It's amazing how getting 15 feet off the ground gives you a different vantage point.  I look down and see Tobias studying me.  "Aren't you going to come up?"

 

I see Tobias shaking his head as he walks over to the ladder.  Looking up at me again, he slowly starts to climb.  When he finally gets up to the top, standing right behind me, he gulps looking around.  "Doesn't being up this high bother you?"

 

I nudge him in the side and say, "This isn't high.  It's just a little slide."

 

"No, that is a little slide," Tobias says pointing to the new plastic slide on the other side of the playground.  "This is a giant slide."

 

"You don't like heights, do you?"

 

"Everyone is afraid of something, Tris."

 

I don't wait any longer.  I know that Tobias wants down so I sit and go flying down the slide.  I go so fast that I shoot off the end of the slide and land on my butt about five feet away.  I start to get up when I'm hit by Tobias as he shoots off the end of the slide.

 

"Well, that was fun," he laughs.

 

"You're just saying that because I cushioned your landing.  Now get off me you big lunk!"

 

Tobias keeps laughing as he gets up.  He then puts out a hand to help me up.  I grab his hand and he pulls me up, then keeps pulling me, throwing me over his shoulder.  "Hey, put me down!"

 

Tobias just laughs and slaps my butt.  I wiggle and try to get off his shoulder, but he just clamps down his arm and I realize I am stuck.  Well if I can't get down, I can be annoying!  I start to poke him in the sides, so he slaps my butt again. 

 

Hanging there, I am staring at his butt when a thought hits me.  I think my hand is small enough to get away with it, so I take a chance.  I snake my hand down his pants and grab a handful of underwear and pull.  This time it's Tobias who yells, "Hey!"  He stops and pulls me from his shoulder, but doesn't set me on the ground.  "What was that?" he laughingly demands.

 

"It was a tactical move garnered to solicit an intended result.  It got me off your shoulder."

 

"It may have gotten you off my shoulder, but you are still in my clutches.  Now I need to decide what to do to you for giving me a wedgy.”  He's holding me tight and I know I can't escape.  I see his eyes roaming over the park when suddenly they light up.  I turn to look in the direction of his gaze and see a pond.

 

"You wouldn't," I sputter.

 

An evil smirk overtakes his face and he starts to walk in the direction of the pond.  "Tobias...," I beg.  "I will never forgive you if you dump me in that pond.”  He doesn't even break stride until he is standing right on the edge of the pond.  I look from him to the water below me.  Before I can say anything, I feel his arms drop.  I think I'm falling into the pond when his arms tighten around me again stopping my fall after only a very short distance.

 

I glare at him for teasing me.  He bends his head down and kisses the tip of my nose.  As he sets me on my feet, he tells me, "I wouldn't drop you in the pond, Tris.”  I take a big sigh of relief, but then he continues.  "I gave you a ride here and I wouldn't want you sitting in my truck if you were all wet."

 

I shove him away from me, trying not to laugh.  "Ass," I mutter.  This causes him to start laughing. 

 

"Come on," he says.  "Let's head home.”  With that, we turn and start walking to his truck.

 

The ride back is quick and before I know it, Tobias has turned onto the road to the ranch.  He stops his truck just before the turn off to his house.  Turning to me he apprehensively asks, "Um, did you want to go home or would you like to come over?  We can watch a movie."

 

It's really sexy that Tobias is strong and confident which is why makes it really cute to see him unsure of himself.  _Hmmm?  What to do?  Oh, what the hell._   "I could watch a movie.”  I see a smile light up his face as he gives the truck some gas and turns toward his house.  We go in and I look through his movies.  I pull out Avengers and put it in the DVD player.

 

I'm sitting on the couch watching the movie when Tobias grabs my hand.  I look at him as he tugs me toward him.  I allow him to pull me up against him, my back to his chest.  As I lay against him, I find my attention diverted from the movie, especially as Tobias starts dragging a finger up and down my arm. 

 

I smack his finger away saying, "You invited me to watch a movie."

 

I hear him snort.  He slowly moves my hair away from my neck and places kisses in its place.  I giggle and begin to squirm away from him.  In response, he wraps his arms around my waist, holding me in place.  I turn around in his arms and tell him, "I'm missing the movie."

 

Tobias bends his head toward me whispering, "You said you've seen it before.”  He then drops his mouth to mine.  The kiss starts slow, tentative but quickly builds.  My hands move up around his neck, tangling in his short hair.  We slowly move from sitting to laying together, side by side on the couch.  Our hands keep moving, exploring each other.  It doesn't take long before that exploring leads to buttons being undone.  I run my hands along his six pack and up his beautiful chest.  I continue my hands to his shoulders, pulling him closer to me while pushing his shirt from him.  Tobias tries to move to take his shirt off which causes me to shift on the couch.  Apparently I lean too far and I feel myself start to fall off.  Tobias quickly catches me and pulls me back to him.

 

He kisses from my mouth, down my neck, and across my chest then says, "Maybe we should take this to bed before one of us gets hurt."

 

I swing myself off the couch and stand up.  Before I can take even one step, Tobias has also stood up and thrown me over his shoulder.  I groan.  "What is it with you carrying me like this?"

 

Tobias just chuckles and pats my butt.  I start to respond when I realize that he has tossed me onto his bed.  I sit up looking at him standing there.  His shirt is hanging open revealing sculpted muscles.  I sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed.  Sitting in front of him, I reach out and grab the belt loops of his pants, tugging him closer.  He steps easily towards me.  I move my hands to his belt and quickly undo the buckle.  I then unbutton his pants.  Looking into his eyes, I let my fingers feel their way to lowering his zipper.  I slowly move my hand over his briefs, tracing his engorged member with my fingers.  Even in the low light, I can see his chest rising and falling from labored breathing.  Realizing that I'm the one to cause his arousal gives me a heady feeling.

 

Tobias slowly sinks to his knees in front of me.  Running his hands down my legs, he picks up my left foot and removes my boot.  After repeating that on my right leg, he moves closer.  He's kneeling between my legs when he finishes undoing the buttons on my shirt.  I'm not able to stop myself as I lean forward and capture his lips with mine. 

 

Slowly Tobias breaks the kiss.  He leaves feather light kisses on each cheek before traveling to my ear and down my neck.  My hands grab his shoulders thoroughly enjoying the feeling of his muscles moving under my hands, before pushing his shirt off.  Tobias continues his kisses down my body until he reaches the waistband of my jeans.  When he stops his kisses, I glance down at him.  I see a question in his eyes and I smile at him as I reach over and unbutton them.

 

With the invitation, Tobias quickly pulls my jeans off and I shudder in anticipation.  I begin to scoot back into the middle of the bed, but Tobias grabs my legs and pulls me back to the edge.  I look at him in question, but he just smiles saying, "You're not going anywhere.”  He then reaches up, hooking fingers under each side of my underwear, and slowly pulls them down my legs.  His hands move back up my legs, then he moves my left leg over his shoulder.  Kissing down the inside of that leg leads him to where I long for him.

 

When his mouth lands on me, I am no longer able to hold myself up and I fall back onto the bed.  His tongue circles my opening, lightly grazing my clit.  I feel his hand slightly push my right leg, opening me more for him before his hand continues to rub where his tongue just was.  As his fingers explore my wet folds, his mouth returns to my clit slowly sucking and nibbling.  Tobias pushes a finger into my depths causing a moan to exit my lips.  His lips and tongue keep up their ministrations while his finger moves slowly in and out.  He draws my clit into his mouth, sucking strongly, as he adds a second finger.  I can feel the pressure building and my hips begin moving in response to his actions.  His other arm moves around my hips, holding me in place.  I groan in response and I can feel Tobias smile.  He begins to circle my clit relentlessly and then curls his fingers slightly causing an orgasm so powerful that I feel as if I was hit by lightning.  As I come down from my high, I see him pull back from me with a smug grin.  He then stands up and quickly pulls his boots off.  Once my muscles respond to commands, I slide to the middle of the bed and watch Tobias as he lowers his jeans and underwear in one motion.

 

I sit up as he crawls over to me.  He helps me get rid of my shirt and bra, then he lowers me back onto the bed and slides over me.  While he is still holding most of his weight off of me, I love the feeling of his body draping over mine.  My hands run along his strong shoulders then down his chest.  I brush over his nipples and am rewarded with a gasp from him.  I push against him and he rolls off of me.  I follow until I am half draped over him.  I kiss below his ear and then move down his neck.  Continuing downward, I leave kisses in my wake as I aim toward his nipple.  Once there, I encircle the nub with my lips, then lightly graze my teeth against it.  I hear and feel a deep moan come from Tobias.

 

After playing with that nipple for a while, I move my attention to the other one.  Once Tobias is breathing heavily, I move down his body.  Running my tongue along the muscled ridges of his abdomen, I hear him suck in a breath.  Smiling, I keep moving.  My tongue dives into his belly button, as my hand reaches down and grabs his hard cock.  "Oh, God," Tobias mutters.

 

Running my hand up and down his length, I take a moment and examine him.  He is truly gifted both in length and girth.  The soft skin covering hides the rock hard organ beneath.  I reach over and slowly lick around the head.  I hear Tobias talking under his breath, but I am unable to make out any words.  His hands grab the sheets with white knuckles as I lick down the length.  I watch as his body shudders in response.

 

Before I can do anything else, he sits up with a groan.  He grabs my face and pulls me in for a scorching kiss.  "I can't wait anymore.  I want to be in you.”  My vocal cords don't seem to work, so I nod in response.  He rolls onto his side and reaches to his end table.  I see him grab a condom.  He quickly sheaths himself and rolls back over toward me.  Our hands roam each other's body as we kiss again.  Finally he rolls over me, settling between my legs.  I feel him rub his dick up and down through my folds.  The teasing is driving me crazy.  I roll my hips slightly and feel him catch in my center.  We both gasp at the contact and before I can react, he slams into me, burying himself to the hilt.  I almost come and can't make sense of the groan-gasp-moan that had left my mouth.

 

Tobias crashes into my lips.  Our tongues tangle together as he begins a fast in and out.  I match his thrusts with my own.  Surprisingly, I feel the tingles beginning already.  Not leaving my lips, he raises himself on his arms, changing the angle where we meet.  As his thrusts hit me just right, I gasp and pull his hips to me wanting more.  We finally break our kiss and as I draw in a needed breath, I feel his lips pull a nipple into his mouth.  The sharp feeling from my breast tangles with and enhances the already brewing tempest below my navel.  "Oh...  God...  Tobias.."

 

Unbelievably, his thrusts become faster and harder.  This breaks the last thread that was holding me together.  I shatter around his steel shaft.  I hear him groan as my orgasm clenches around him.  His thrusts become erratic until he groans in completion.  His arms are shaking as he falls onto me.  I wrap my arms around him, clutching him to me and loving his weight.

 

Finally, he lifts his head and looks at me with a goofy grin on his face.  I reach up and pull his face to me.  After a brief kiss we break apart.  He starts to shift away from me and I unconsciously grab him both internally and externally.  He groans at the pressure.  Kissing me again, he says, "You're incredible," as he finishes pulling out.  I find myself pouting slightly and he just chuckles at the look on my face.

 

As he gets rid of the condom, I realize that I'm covered in sweat and could really use a shower.  "Do you mind if I take a shower?" I ask him. 

 

He leers at me before responding, "Not at all.  As long as I can join you."

 

I just laugh as I walk toward his bathroom.  I have the water warmed and am just stepping in when he walks into the bathroom.  In the full light of the room, I let my eyes run over his body.  I swear he is Adonis in the flesh.  Shaking my head, I reach for his soap and start to wash.  Before I get very far, I feel him behind me.  He takes the soap out of my hands and works up a lather.  He then starts to wash my back before moving to my legs and down to my feet.  As he works his way back up, he thoroughly cleans my womanhood causing me to laugh.  "Oh, I'm funny.  Am I?" he growls.

 

I start to answer, but he turns me around and thrusts his tongue in my mouth before I can.  As the kiss deepens, I feel him lift me up.  I wrap my legs around his waist just before he pushes me up against the cold shower tiles.  He keeps one hand under my butt but uses the other to massage my breast and play with the nipple.  I moan into the kiss and pull him closer to me.  I break the kiss and start working along his jaw, then suck on his ear lobe.  I feel his arousal against my butt and reach down to grab it, loving the feeling of his hard shaft sliding in my hand.  Tobias moves his hand from my breast down to my center.  Rubbing back and forth a couple of times, he sinks into me.  I moan and he groans out, "So wet."

 

I bite down lightly on his earlobe and whisper, "I want you."

 

He groans again but starts to move himself into position.  Suddenly he stops.  "The condoms are in the bedroom.  We need to wait."

 

"No we don't," I say.  "I'm on the pill.”  I pause.  "That's if you want to.  I've never done it without before.”  I bite my lip in worry.  Maybe I shouldn't have suggested it.  Maybe...  My thoughts are pu--shed out of my head as Tobias sinks deeply into me.

 

He settles his head against my neck.  Nibbling on my neck I hear him say, "I've never done it without either.”  The words settle into my mind and I do the only thing I can think of.  I pull his mouth to mine.

 

**-Four POV-**

I can do this or at least I keep telling myself I can.  _Quit being a pussy!_   I finally push the door open and walk into the kitchen to talk to Sally.  I see her sitting at the table drinking a coffee and working on her laptop.  "Morning, Tobias," she says when she sees me.  "What's up?"

 

"I hate to ask this, but is it possible to take most of next Monday and Tuesday off.  I can do the morning feed on Monday and the evening feed on Tuesday.  And, before you agree, you should know it's because Zeke, Shauna, and I are planning on taking Tris to Las Cruces to celebrate her passing her RN test."

 

Sally looks at me and I could swear I see her cover a smile with her coffee cup.  After she finishes a very slow drink, she sets the cup back on the table.  "I'm sure I can manage two feedings.  You haven't had any time off since Jack got hurt.  I only have two requests.  One, since you will be in Cruces, can you do some shopping for me?"

 

I smile as I reply, "Of course.  What's number two?"

 

She doesn't even try to hide her smile this time.  "Make sure Tris has fun.  That girl is way too serious most of the time."

 

"Okay, we can make sure she has fun," I say laughing.  "I'll get with you on Sunday about any special things I'm doing with the feedings and I'll get your shopping list.”  She just nods in reply and waves her hand to shoo me away.

 

When I get outside, I text Zeke that we're good to go on Monday.  Now on to the next question.  I see Tris working in the arena, so head down to meet her.  I've been watching her work Sophie for about 15 minutes before she finally notices me and trots over.  When she stops, I kind of laugh at the image in front of me.  While Tris is riding an English saddle, she has western boots on with jeans, a sleeveless plaid shirt, and a baseball cap.  To top it off, her hair is pulled through the back of the cap to form a quick ponytail.  It seems to be about the most non-English riding gear you could come up with.

 

Stifling my laugh before I piss her off, I say, "Zeke, Shauna, and I are taking you to Las Cruces next Monday so we can celebrate you passing your test.  Zeke and I have everything set up except for one thing.  We aren't sure of how many motel rooms to reserve.”  Pausing as I glance at her, I go ahead and ask, "Two or three?"

 

Tris reaches up and takes off her baseball cap, shaking out her hair.  As she sits, comfortably slouched in the saddle, she scrutinizes me.  Finally seeming as if she has come to a decision, she puts her cap back on and straightens in the saddle.  As she nudges Sophie forward to leave, she mutters, "Two.”  Then as she cues Sophie to a canter, I hear, "You and Zeke can share!"

 

I chuckle at her response as I turn and head back to the barn to finish my day's work.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I'm finishing up the feeding when I hear Tris walk up behind me.  "You done with Cisco?"

 

She nods as she plops down on one of the feed bins.  Her hair has several strands that have pulled out of her ponytail, her shirt has a large dust smear on it, and her jeans are covered in horse hair, but she looks gorgeous.  Without thinking about it, I walk over to her, wrap my arms around her, and pull her in for a kiss.  Moving my lips down her neck I mumble against her skin, "God, I want to pin you up against that wall and make you scream my name.”  Her answering moan is all the encouragement I need to do just that.

 

**-Tris POV-**

Surprisingly, the week has passed quickly.  Tobias and I are still getting along fine, although I admit that with each passing day I find myself increasingly wanting to spend time with him.  And, now that we have opened the door to, um, extracurricular activities, I want him progressively more each day.  I have never lusted after someone before and it's very weird to have that awakened in me.  I don't know if it is the whole 'no strings' idea, but we have a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves when we're alone.

 

We decide to take Tobias' truck to the bar Friday night, but I meet him at his house first.  He is walking out, closing his front door as I pull up.  I park and jump out.  Smiling at me, he opens the passenger door of his truck.  I climb in and he closes the door before walking around the truck and getting in.  We enjoy a comfortable silence in the short drive to the bar.

 

Tobias opens the door for me to enter the bar.  He follows right behind me with his hand on the small of my back.  It's been about two weeks since I was here, but apparently everyone remembers me or more accurately they remember Tobias kissing me.  Every eye in the room follows us as we walk up to the bar and then take seats next to each other.

 

"Hey, guys.  You made it," Zeke says as he pops over to us bringing us each a beer.

 

Tobias snorts.  "You didn't give us much choice.  I think you would have stalked us down tomorrow if we hadn't been here."

 

Zeke just laughs, but I can see his eyes jumping between Tobias and me.  I don't know what Tobias has told Zeke about us getting together so I can't tell if Zeke thinks he is being funny or if he is trying to figure us out.

 

Zeke then leans forward, resting his elbows on the bar, before saying, "I was surprised, Tris.  Four told me that we only needed two motel rooms next week."

 

"Oh, Four didn't explain?  I told him that the two of you could bunk together.” 

 

Out of the corner of my eye I see Tobias choke on his beer.  As Zeke turns to help someone else, Tobias leans over and whispers in my ear, "I thought you were joking about that.”  I just smirk at him, neither confirming nor denying his assumption.

 

We continue to make small talk until I see Shauna come in.  She comes right up to me and gives me a big hug.  Zeke yells, "Hey, I'm the boyfriend.  I get the first hug!"

 

Shauna just laughs as she leans over the bar and gives Zeke a hug.  As she sits back down though she says, "But Tris smells better, so she gets the first hug."

 

We all laugh at Shauna's teasing, especially since Zeke looks like he is pouting.  Shauna and I talk about our weeks while Zeke and Tobias talk.  I've almost finished my beer, when Shauna gets up to go to the restroom.  I tell her I'll go too.

 

We are both washing our hands when I see Shauna glancing at me in the mirror.  "So, you hook up with tall, dark, and broody yet?"  I feel my face turn red, but before I can say anything Shauna continues, "The last time I saw the two of you together, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.  Tonight there is no tension.  Zip.  Zero.  Nada.”  She turns and leans against the counter.  "So what happened to make all that tension go away?"

 

My face darkens even more, but I find that it really doesn't bother me if Shauna knows.  "Umm, the dam broke Sunday night."

 

Shauna's face lights up.  "I knew it," she squeals.  "So are you guys dating now?"

 

I shake my head.  "No.  We talked about it and have agreed that we're just friends.  No strings."

 

"So, what are you guys now, fuck buddies?"

 

I groan at the term, but nod my head.  "Yeah, pretty much.  I mean I really like Four.  We have become good friends.  I like you and Zeke too.  I didn't want to spend the rest of my time here avoiding everyone.  So…"

 

"So," Shauna answers.  "You are trying to spend time with your friend all the while screwing like bunnies."

 

"Eh, kind of," I hedge.  "I mean you have seen him.  He's gorgeous, ...and funny, ..and nice, and smart, ...and yeah, you know."

 

Shauna is looking at me like I'm from another planet.  Finally she asks, "We are talking about Four, right?  Gorgeous I get.  Even smart I get, but no one ever uses the words funny and nice to describe Four.  I'm his friend.  I've known him forever.  I love him like a brother and even _I_ never use funny and nice to describe Four."

 

"Shauna, I've told you before how nice he's been to me.  How he's helped me out.”  We turn to leave the bathroom.

 

Walking out Shauna smirks, "And I've told you my theory behind that.  He likes you."

 

I stop her before we make it back to the bar.  "Hey, I've kind of been teasing Four about making him share a room with Zeke when we go to Las Cruces.  Can you back me up?"

 

Laughing Shauna replies, "As long as I get _my_ fuck buddy back by bedtime Monday, I'm fine with stringing the boys along.  They take too much for granted as it is.”  I throw my arm over her shoulder and we walk to the bar still laughing.

 

Zeke looks worried as he takes us in.  "Why are you guys so chipper?"

 

I look at him with complete surprise on my face.  "Can't I be happy?  I like Shauna and we were just discussing how much fun the Cruces trip will be."

 

Shauna continues just as I stop, "I mean it will be just like a long distance sleepover.”  She turns and looks at me.  "You know I never had a sleepover before, well besides with my sister."

 

"Anyway," I say turning to Zeke.  "Why does our being happy make you so nervous?"

 

I see Zeke anxiously swallow and hear Tobias laughingly say, "Because he's a wuss and is afraid that you two are ganging up on him."

 

"Zeke, I never thought I would say this, but you worry too much," I explain chuckling.  Drinking the rest of my beer I look at Tobias.  I can see that he has already finished his.  "Did you want to head out or stay longer?" I ask him.

 

"You're staying," Zeke answers.  He then slides a mixed drink in front of me and a shot in front of Tobias.

 

"No, I-," I start at the same time Tobias says, "We're not-"

 

Zeke interrupts us both.  "You're staying.  I haven't spent any time with you guys in over a week.  You can crash at my place and drinks are on me."

 

I look at Tobias and see him studying Zeke.  He finally turns to meet my eyes.  I can see the silent question in them that is probably mirrored in mine.  I ultimately give a minuet shrug to which he responds with a slight nod.  He looks back at Zeke.  Zeke just stands there expectantly.  Tobias finally responds to Zeke, "I need limes with my shots."

 

Zeke turns laughing as he grabs some lime wedges and sets them on a plate.  He slides the plate and a salt shaker in front of Tobias.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I've had two Long Island iced teas when Shauna drags me onto the dance floor.  We have fun bouncing to some rocking tunes.  After four fast songs, a slow song comes on so we walk back over to where Tobias is sitting.  As I walk up to him, my eyes rake over every inch of his body.  My gaze reaches his face and he locks eyes with me.  I see a smirk on his face as I sit back on my bar stool.  He leans in and asks, "Like what you see?"

 

Biting my bottom lip I look up at him through my lashes.  I see him swallow quickly as I just nod.  I had fun dancing with Shauna and now I sit on the bar stool, swaying slightly to the song playing.  Another slow song starts and I glance over at Tobias only to find him looking at me.  I lean over, placing my lips against his ear.  I smile as I notice a small shudder from my actions.  Letting my lips brush his ear, I ask, "Do you want to dance?"

 

Huskily he responds, "It's not the first thing that comes to mind, but yeah, let's dance.”  I stand up and he wraps his arm around my waist as we walk onto the dance floor.

 

**-Shauna POV-**

As soon as Tris pulls Four on to the dance floor I turn to Zeke.  "What are you doing?"

 

"I'm performing an experiment."

 

"Huh?  Zeke, explain."

 

He leans his head over the bar so he can talk softly.  "Four and Tris like each other, but will never make a move.  I'm going to keep them here and get them drunk.  I figure that when they are drunk they won't be able to keep their hands off each other."

 

I sigh.  "Zeke, that sounds like a plan, not an experiment.  If it was an experiment, you would be testing something."

 

"Okay, I'm testing how much alcohol it will take before they can't keep their hands off each other."

 

I sit there thinking.  Should I let him stew or tell him?  If I tell him, then maybe he will stop his stupid plan.  "They are already sleeping together.  What more do you need?"

 

"What?" Zeke screeches.

 

"Jesus, Zeke.  Keep it down.”  I glance around and see about half the bar is looking at us.  "Tris told me in the bathroom.  They've been hooking up since last Sunday."

 

I see Zeke get a dangerous glint in his eye.  He slams the bar towel down.  _Can you slam a towel?_   "He did not say a word to me.  Not.  One.  Word.  Okay my mission has now changed.  Now, I am going to get them drunk enough that they can't keep their hands off each other to give me ammunition against him."

 

I'm shaking my head trying to make sense of what he just said.  "Honey, you just said that you were going to do the exact same thing that you were going to do to start with."

 

"Yes," he smirks.  "But, now I have a different reason."

 

Oh my God.  I really, really do not understand him sometimes.

 

All of sudden Zeke's head jerks up.  He looks at me and asks, "If they're sleeping together, why do I need to share a motel room with Four?"


	12. Practicing

**-Four POV-**

I wake up wrapped around Tris.  In the last week, this has become normal but my sleep hazed brain registers that something is different.  I pry an eye open and glance around.  Oh, that's right.  We ended up at Zeke's.  I close that eye again, wanting the pain that light caused to cease.  I need to get up and go feed, but I try to relax and sleep some more.  I hear some noises in the house and assume that Zeke is up.  I might as well get up.

 

I carefully extract myself from around Tris, letting her sleep a little more and crawl out of bed.  Finding my clothes, I get dressed before heading to the bathroom.

 

When I walk into the kitchen, I see Zeke cooking some eggs.  "I hope you're making enough for everyone."

 

Zeke jumps as he turns to glare at me.  "You need a damn bell around your neck," he mutters before turning back to the eggs.  Finally, he responds, "Yes, I've made enough for everyone.  Do you need some aspirin?"

 

I get a glass out of the cabinet and fill it with water.  After I drink it, I say, "No, I already got some out of the bathroom.”  I refill that glass and begin to walk back to the bedroom.  "I'm going to leave some for Tris though.”  I drop off the water and pills on the nightstand then return to the kitchen. 

 

I grab a cup of coffee and sit there watching Zeke cook.  Finally Zeke breaks the silence, "When were you going to tell me about Tris?"

 

I glance down the hall just to make sure that the bedroom door is still shut before answering.  "Actually, I wasn't.”  Zeke glares at me, surprised.  "Since she plans on leaving in the middle of the summer, we agreed that we are just friends.  She doesn't want anything with any strings attached."

 

Zeke looks at me incredulously.  "Why did you agree to that?  I can see that you really like her."

 

Now it's my turn to be surprised.  I thought I had hid my feelings better than that.  Rubbing the back of my neck, I tell him the truth, "It was either that or the only time I would see her would be when we were working the horses.  It was friends or nothing.”  I sigh, glancing down the hall again.  "I took what I could get.”  And, I don't think I could stay away from her, I don't add.

 

Zeke turns off the burner, grabs his coffee, and sits down next to me.  "Wow, that's harsh.  If I had known all of that, I probably wouldn't have ambushed you last night."

 

I chuckle and look at Zeke.  "Yeah, I kind of figured that you had a goal in mind when you started plying me with tequila."

 

Zeke looks at me grinning ear to ear.  "Oh, yeah, I had a plan.  First it was to get you two together and then Shauna told me that you two were already hooking up so then I wanted to get you to acknowledge it.  But, you two looked like you were dating last night, not like two friends."

 

I grimace as he says that.  I know that I would like to be dating Tris and I have to confess that it almost feels like we're dating, especially last night when we were in public.  I put both hands over my face and lean my elbows on the table.

 

"Wow, dude," Zeke says.  "You're really in deep.”  Nodding, I slowly look up.  "What are you going to do?"

 

"Exactly what I've been doing," I sigh.  "I'd rather have two great months than nothing at all.  But, right now, I need to wake Tris up and get out to do the morning feeding.  I'm really late."

 

I'm walking down the hallway when I remember something.  Turning back to Zeke, I ask, "Hey, we're still on for this afternoon, right?"

 

"Yep," Zeke answers.  "Hey, I'll wrap the eggs into burritos so you can eat them on your way home."

 

"Thanks."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I drop Tris off at her apartment telling her I'll meet her this afternoon to work with Cisco and then head down to the barn.  Once I have fed and checked all of the horses, I go home to clean up.  I do some quick chores around the house then, head back to Zeke's place.

 

"I'm back," I yell as I open the door.

 

"Good sweetheart, we missed you," Zeke responds.

 

"Ass."

 

"Dickwad."

 

"Boys, boys.  You can tease each other later," Shauna breaks in.

 

Zeke and I jokingly glare at each other until he says, "I need to take a shower."

 

Once Zeke leaves, Shauna refills her coffee cup.  She looks at me in question and I just nod.  She pours me a cup too and brings both cups to the table.  Sitting down, she looks at me questioningly.  When I don't respond, she finally says, "Spill."

 

"I don't know what you want, Shauna."

 

Shauna sips her coffee while studying me.  The silence grows as neither of us says anything.  She finally sighs and says, "Tell me about you and Tris."

 

"There isn't anything to tell.”  I take a drink of coffee and meet her gaze.

 

Shauna replies, "I'm not sure if you're lying to me or to yourself.”  Taking another drink of her coffee, she continues, "I can see that this is tearing you apart, Four.  Why did you agree to this?  You love her."

 

"It wasn't easy.  I had the choice of one night, only seeing her when we were working, and keeping it a completely professional relationship, or being 'friends'," I say hooking my fingers for quotation marks around friends.

 

"But, Four, this is going to break you when she leaves."

 

"Yeah," I say sighing.  "But it was going to regardless.”  Shauna looks at me in surprise, but thankfully Zeke returns then and ends our conversation. 

 

"Okay, let's get going," Zeke informs me.  He turns to Shauna and gives her a kiss.  "See you later."

 

I squeeze Shauna's shoulder as I follow Zeke out. 

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Zeke and I finish loading everything into the bed of my truck.  I go over to the owners and thank them again.  I make sure that they have my phone number and I let them know that I will bring everything back in about two months.  When I return to the truck, I see that Zeke has finished tying everything down.  We hop in and head back to the ranch.

 

When I pull up to the arena, I'm glad to see that Tris isn't out working any of the horses.  Zeke opens the arena gate and I drive into the middle of the ring.  We quickly unload everything then Zeke looks at me.  "Are we going to set these up or just leave them in a pile?"

 

"Umm, I'm not sure.  I'd like to set them up, but I'm not sure how.  I'm mean not the how, but more the where.  I don't know how they should be in relation to each other."

 

Zeke nods while looking at the pile.  "Maybe we could just set up some, you know by themselves."

 

"I hate to admit it," I laugh.  "But, that's a great idea.”  We quickly set up three of the jumps then I take Zeke back to his place.

 

"Thanks again, Zeke.  I can't believe you found someone to loan us those jumps for a couple of weeks."

 

Zeke waves my words off as he gets out of the truck.  "No problem, man.  Talk to you soon.”  I glance at my watch before pulling away from his house.  I have about two hours before I meet with Tris to work Cisco, so I decide to swing by the grocery store before heading home.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I'm waiting with Cisco already saddled when Tris arrives at the barn.  "You seem eager today," she observed smiling.

 

We begin walking toward the arena chatting.  I'm only vaguely paying attention to what Tris is saying.  My mind is now questioning the whole exercise of getting her some jumps to practice with.  I find my heart pumping quickly as we round the corner and the arena comes into view.

 

I'm watching Tris out of the corner of my eye so I can see her reaction.  It takes her a moment to register the difference to the arena.  With a gasp she turns toward me and wraps me in a hug.  "Thank you, Tobias.  How did you..."

 

"Zeke actually found someone willing to loan the jumps to us.  We both went and picked them up today.  We weren't sure how they needed to be set up, so we left most of them unassembled."

 

"This is great!  I can really start working Sophie now," Tris grins.  "But I guess we need to pay attention to Cisco right now.”  With that, she steps into the saddle and I open the gate to the arena.

 

Cisco's workout goes by quickly and before I know it, I'm finishing the evening feed and Tris is walking back up to the barn from Cisco's pen.  When she gets closer, I say, "I was thinking that everyone could use a day off tomorrow.”  I see Tris turn away quickly and think I hear her mumble an "Okay," but I'm not sure.  "So, if you don't have anything better to do, would you like to go on a ride with me?  We can head out into one of the pastures you haven't seen."

 

Tris turns back to me with a look of surprise on her face.  "Oh, I thought when you wanted a day off, that you were going to...  Never mind.  Sure, a ride sounds nice.  What time were you thinking?"

 

"We can do first thing in the morning or mid-morning.  It doesn't matter to me."

 

Tris seems to think about it for a minute and then grins evilly.  "Well, as long as someone doesn't keep me up late tonight, we can do first thing in the morning."

 

"10:00 am it is," I say to her, smirking.

 

**-Tris POV-**

I wake up to a cold bed.  I don't blame Tobias for leaving early since I know that he needs to feed, but that doesn't mean I like it.  I look at the clock and see that it's 7:30.  Tobias had said we were going to leave at 10:00 for our ride.

 

I make coffee and breakfast then spend the rest of my morning doing laundry, taking a shower, and picking up the apartment.  It's almost 10:00 am when there's a knock on the door.  I open it and am surprised to see Tobias along with two horses, saddled and ready to go.

 

"I got done a little early, so thought I'd see if you were ready."

 

"Let me grab my hat, then I'm good to go," I tell him.  "Oh, do you want me to pack a lunch or anything?"

 

He smiles that megawatt smile and replies, "Nope.  I've got everything taken care of."

 

"Okay then.  Lead the way."

 

Tobias smiles at me as he hands me the reins of my horse.  We both mount up and ride toward the pasture gate.  Tobias opens the gate and yells for Rusty.  When everyone is through, we take off across the valley.

 

It's a beautiful day.  I enjoy the ride, the company, and the landscape.  Tobias points out different topographic features and items of interest.  We're riding at a leisurely pace so it doesn't surprise me when I glance at my watch and see that it's 12:30.  "Can we stop for lunch soon?" I ask Tobias.  "I'm hungry."

 

"Sure.  Anyplace around here look good to you

 

I look around and notice a pretty area with a couple of trees and some large rocks.  "How about over there?" I ask Tobias.  He nods and we start riding to that area.  Arriving, we dismount and loosen the saddles.  Tobias grabs his saddle bags and we sit down against the rocks in the shade of the trees.

 

I watch as Tobias unpacks a great lunch of sandwiches, fruit salad, and potato chips.  We both dig into the food.  "Thank you for lunch, Tobias," I tell him.  "The food is wonderful."

 

Grinning at me, Tobias responds, "You're welcome, Tris."

 

We continue eating, enjoying the company.  I listen to the wildlife around us as well as the horses grazing.  It's all so relaxing.  I feel like laying down and taking a nap, but know that I shouldn't.  So instead, I start to stand up, but Tobias pulls me back down.  "I want to talk for a while before we head back."

 

I look at him in question.  We talk all the time, so I wonder what is going on.  I glance at Tobias and see that he seems deep in thought.  I start worrying about what he wants to talk about.  I don't think that he would want to tell me anything really bad since we have at least a two hour ride back home.  Finally I try to be brave and ask, "What do you want to talk about?"

 

"I want to tell you about my family.  Or rather, my father.  Well, like you assumed, I didn't have a good relationship with my father.  We-."

 

"Tobias," I interrupt.  "Like I said before, you don't owe me an explanation."

 

"Yeah, I think I do, Tris.”  He pulls me over to him so I'm sitting between his legs, leaning against his chest.  "I know so much about you, but I haven't told you much about me.  I know you've noticed the scars on my back.”  I nod in response.  I remember the first time I felt them was when he took his shirt off in the barn.  The tattoo covers them visually, but it cannot hide the damaged tissue underneath.

 

"To say my father was a bastard is an understatement.  After my mother died, he took all of his anger and frustration out on me.  Sometimes it was fists, sometimes it was locking me in a closet, and sometimes it was with his belt.  The belt was his favorite."

 

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling or crying.  No child should have to experience that.  I glance at him and see he is watching me.  "When I first saw the tattoo you mentioned that the flames represented a cleansing of your past.  Was it because it hid the scars?"

 

He nods then says, "Partly.  I got the tattoo right after I turned 18.  The day I turned 18, I told him that if he touched me again that I would kill him.  I also told him to leave town or I would tell everyone exactly what he had done to me for years.  I moved out that day.  I haven't seen him since.”  He pauses and takes a deep breath.  "I liked that the flames represented destruction of everything that they touched, but you know how plants always grow quickly after a fire?"  I nod.  "I felt that if I could destroy the scars, that a new me could grow from the ashes."

 

"That's beautiful," I say.

 

Tobias takes my face in both his hands.  He kisses me softly then says, "Thank you."

 

"For what?" I ask very confused.

 

"For not looking at me like I'm a kicked puppy."

 

This time, I take Tobias' face in my hands and kiss him.  "I could never look at you like that.  You're a survivor.  I feel sad for the child that you were having to deal with all of that, just like I feel sad for any child having to deal with abuse.  But, I don't pity the man you've become."

 

We sit there for a while each caught in our own thoughts.  I'm still sitting on his lap, glancing at him every now and again, when I finally get the courage to ask what has been bugging me, "Did Zeke and Shauna know what was going on?"

 

He grimaces and says, "No.  They knew something wasn't right, but I don't think they ever figured out what was really going on."

 

All of a sudden a disturbing thought hits me and I gasp.  Tobias looks at me and I ask, "My grandparents didn't know did they?"  I have to ask, because if they knew and did nothing, I will never forgive them.

 

"Tris, don't worry.  They didn't know.  Marcus went to great pains to make sure no one knew.  Plus, by the time I started hanging out at the ranch, Marcus didn't do much.  I was finally able to defend myself then and I started to fight back."

 

I relax against his chest as he wraps his arms around me.  Even with everything he just told me, I feel relaxed.  I'm not sure how long we sit like this, but I finally realize that we need to head home.  I stand up then hold a hand down to help Tobias up.  Once he's standing, I kiss him, then say, "Thank you for trusting me."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

My phone rings catching me off guard, but what really surprises me is the ringtone.  It's Caleb!  I run to the phone and answer it quickly.  "Hey, Caleb.  How are you?"

 

"I'm good, little sis.  Are you still out at the ranch?"

 

"Yep," I laugh a little at Caleb's directness.  "Grandpa is doing really well, but he still isn't doing any chores or work.  I plan on staying through about mid-July.  I think he will be on his feet well enough by then.  What's up with you?"

 

"Well, I hadn't heard from you in ages.” 

 

I interrupt him, "Caleb, I texted you when I passed my NCLEX exam!"

 

"Okay, so I've heard from you once in ages,” he corrects.  "I miss you.  When are going to be back in Denver?"

 

"I actually don't know.  I need to start applying for jobs now that I'll have my RN in a couple of weeks, but I haven't decided where I want to live yet."

 

Caleb snorts over the phone.  "You need a job, Bea.  You better get on it quick."

 

"Hey, since I'm still going to be here for another month, why don't you come down and visit?  It's been forever since you were at the ranch.  Oooo, I'm going to be competing in the 4th of July Rodeo.  You should come down for that."

 

"I don't know.  You know that the ranch and I don't mix."

 

"Come on, Caleb," I beg.  "I know you like watching me when I show.  Plus you haven't seen Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of years.  I want you to come.” 

 

I hear silence on the phone.  I know he is thinking, debating.  Finally he breaks the silence, "Okay, I'll come.  Give me directions.  Last time I was there, Dad drove."

 

I'm smiling ear to ear as I begin to give Caleb directions.  I know my brother and know that the directions need to be exact and very detailed.  "Once you are on that road, continue for 6.5 miles.  You will then see a big sign on the south, left hand side, over a small dirt road that says 'Dauntless Ranch.'  Next to it is a sign that says 'Working Quarter Horses.'  Turn left on that road and follow it until you stop at the house."

 

"I still can't believe you have been staying the summer at Dauntless.  It's so different than how we grew up."

 

"Caleb, I have always loved the ranch.  You were the one that didn't like to come here.  I remember you complaining about getting dirty," I chuckle.

 

He laughs at this.  "Well it is dirty!  It's in the middle of nowhere."

 

"Let me know when you plan on getting here.  The rodeo is all day on the 4th.  I can clean off my couch or you can stay in the house with Grandma and Grandpa.”  We continue the conversation, clearing up details and just discussing our lives.  I haven't seen my brother since Christmas.  It will really be good to see him soon.

 

**-Four POV-**

After I got us checked into the rooms, I walked back out to the truck.  Everyone has gathered their bags and are standing there waiting for me.  I pull out the two sets of room keys.  They are still in the little envelopes that the front desk put them in.  Before I can separate them into single keys, Tris reaches across and grabs one of the envelopes.  I'm tongue tied as I watch her open the envelope and hand one key to Shauna.  She glances at the front and says, "Room 327.  What room are you guys in?"

 

"Um... 635," I finally manage to stutter.

 

Tris smiles.  "Okay.  We'll meet you at 6:00 for dinner, right?"  I just nod in response.  I guess she wasn't kidding.  I'm really going to share a room with Zeke.

 

I watch her and Shauna walk away then turn to Zeke.  He has a surprised expression stuck on his face too.  "That was cold, dude.  I thought they were kidding about making us room together."

 

I nod at him before replying, "Me too."

 

**-Tris POV-**

Shauna and I take our time getting ready.  I've got on my favorite little black dress.  The dress is a mix of soft fabric and lace covered strategic cutouts.  I like it because it still covers me, isn't too short, is snug, but not tight, and looks seductive.  I curled my hair and put it in a messy up-do.  My makeup is subtle and natural, but I don't usually wear makeup on the ranch so it's a big change.  Topping my outfit off with my favorite black heels, I feel confident.

 

Shauna looks me over and grins evilly.  "Four is going to shit when he sees you."

 

I look Shauna over.  She's wearing this cute little red dress that shows her curves in just the right way.  Her makeup is a little bolder than mine and her hair is down.  Overall she looks great.  I nod at her before replying, "You look great.  Zeke is going to love it."

 

"Well, should we go get our guys?" she asks. 

 

Our guys.  More and more I find myself wishing I could call Tobias 'my guy,' but I know I can't.  "Well, your guy and Four," I say with a said smile.

 

Looking at me like I've grown a second head Shauna snorts, "Like hell!  Four is yours through and through.” 

 

**-Four POV-**

Zeke and I are standing in the lobby waiting for the girls.  He is telling me some story about a guy at the bar last week, when Tris walks into view.  _Holy fuck!_   I stand there, unable to move or even form cognitive thought.  Zeke is still yammering on about that unknown guy so I smack him in the arm.  "Hey, what the hell?" he asks.  I just point at the girls.

 

"Damn," I hear him mutter.  My mouth still isn't working so I just nod.

 

Zeke walks up to Shauna and kisses her on the cheek.  Taking his cue, I walk up to Tris.  "You look great.  Definitely better than sweats," I tell her with a grin.

 

She chuckles at my reference to that conversation.  "You clean up pretty well yourself," she answers looking over my black slacks and dark gray button up shirt.

 

Kissing her on the cheek, I whisper in her ear, "You look beautiful and deathly sexy."

 

She leans against my side and smirks, "Well I told you I would rock your world."

 

Putting my arm around her waist, I chuckle back, "Well, you've done that more than once.”  I hear Tris take a sharp breath and then see her begin to turn red.  _God, I love that blush!_

 

Before we can continue this conversation, Zeke walks up and drops his arm across Tris' shoulders.  I glare at him, but ignoring me he says, "Okay, lovebirds.  We have a 6:30 dinner reservation."

 

We all pile into the truck and make the short drive to the restaurant.  Once there, the hostess seats us quickly.  A waiter walks up to our table and then does a double take.  "Tris?" he asks.  She raises her head and looks at him.  "Oh hey, Al," she responds nonchalantly before returning to her menu.

 

Al continues, "I thought you had moved away after graduation.  Are you back?  If so, we should get together for old time's sake."

 

Tris looks up again, confusion evident on her face, "Um, I'm only here for the night, Al."

 

Al looks happy as he says, "Hey, that's great!  I get off at 9:00.  Why don't we go out somewhere?"

 

My anger builds the longer this conversation continues.  I can see that Tris really isn't interested, but this Al guy isn't letting up.  I start to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling at him to just leave already.

 

Tris looks embarrassed as she says, "Al, I'm here with my friends.  We already have plans tonight."

 

Still not getting it, Al asks, "Well, since they're your friends and I'm your friend, I could just join you."

 

"Dude," Zeke says finally having enough of the conversation.  "She doesn't want to go out with you."

 

Al looks up in surprise and then his face falls.  I see him look at Tris, but she initially won't meet his eye.  Finally she looks up at him and answers, "Al, I'm here with my friends and my boyfriend.  We already have plans.”  When she said boyfriend, I reached over and grabbed her hand.  Al looks at each of us and then walks away.

 

Tris glances at me then looks at Zeke.  "Thank you.  Al never got the hint in school.” 

 

Zeke snorts, "He still doesn't get the hint."

 

Tris squeezes my hand and looks at me.  "Thank you, too.  I remembered what you said to Peter and thought I could use the same thing again.  I hope I didn't embarrass you."

 

I kiss her hand before letting it go.  "Tris, whatever you need, I'm here."

 

Before the conversation can continue on that vein, Zeke pipes up, "So, do you think anyone will show up to take our orders now?"  We all laugh at Zeke.

 

**-Tris POV-**

Soon after Al leaves, the cocktail waitress shows up.  She scans the table and when her eyes spot Tobias, they light up.  She shuffles over to stand right next to him before asking, "What can I get you?  Anything from the bar?"  I feel anger rise when I watch her slightly touch Tobias' arm as she says 'anything.'  As Zeke gives his order, she leans forward like she has a hard time hearing him, giving Tobias a boob shot. 

 

I'm watching her throw herself at Tobias, when I see his eyes on me.  "Do you want anything?"

 

 _From her, no!_   I shake my head and just say, "No, I'll wait until later.”  Tobias nods at me and tells her that neither of us want anything.  His eyes never leave mine and I see her glare at us before she stomps off.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

We decide to try the nightclub at the hotel since it is so convenient.  If we end up not liking it, we can take a cab to a nearby bar.  As we walk in and look around, I think all of us are a little surprised that the place is full since it's Monday night.  However, we find a table and give the waitress our orders.  A waitress who I’m glad to see didn't even spare a glance at Tobias.

 

The music is a mix of slow and fast rock songs, plus it isn't so loud that we can't talk.  By the time we have all finished our first drinks, we have decided that we will stay here.  When a slow song comes on I'm surprised that Tobias grabs my hand and leads me onto the dance floor.  Wrapping our arms around each other, we enjoy the dance.

 

The next song starts.  It is a thumping classic rock song.  I assume that Tobias won't want to stay out for this song, so I drop my arms from around him and start to walk back to our table.  I don't even get a step away before I'm pulled back into his arms.  Tobias pulls me tight against him, moving his hips in rhythm to the music.  I wrap my arms around his neck letting my fingers curl into his hair, a smile growing on my face.  He keeps one hand on my hip while the other traces up my body until it wraps in my hair.

 

I allow myself to get lost in the feeling of the music and Tobias's body up against mine.  Turning so my back is against his chest, I press my butt against his groin and am rewarded with the feeling of him hardening against me.  He places a hand against my stomach, pressing me back into him.  Following the beat of the music, I grind slowly.  He kisses my neck below my ear and then whispers in my ear, "You're killing me, Tris."

 

He turns me to face him again. Looking up, I see friendship and lust mixed with something else in his eyes.  I lay my head on his shoulder as we dance allowing my hands to run along his back then farther down to grab his ass, pulling him toward me.  Not being able to resist the pull that he has on me, my mouth finds his neck, sucking and kissing as the music continues its beat.

 

By the time we exit the dance floor, I'm not sure if it's the music I feel pounding through my body or if it's my desire for Tobias.  Zeke breaks through my haze when he says, "You guys could have just had sex on the dance floor and given everyone less of a show."

 

Tobias glares at Zeke, but answers with, "If that is all you're used to seeing, you're doing it wrong."

 

"Fuck you."

 

"Zeke, we may have to share a room, but that's never going to happen."

 

Tobias and Zeke keep going back and forth while Shauna and I both roll our eyes.  I swear boys never grow up.  I lean over and tell her that I'm going to find the bathroom and she indicates that she'll come along.  We use the restroom and head back to our table.  Surprisingly, Zeke and Tobias are still going at it.

 

Sitting down next to Tobias, I let my hand glide over his upper thigh.  When his eyes slide to mine, I ask, "Do you want to dance?"  I laugh when he just stands up and leads me to the dance floor.  My laughter gets harder when I hear Zeke whine, "But we weren't done."

 

After four or five dances, my feet are really starting to hurt so I ask Tobias if we can sit down.  I haven't worn heels in over a month and I never did wear them much, but I had wanted to show off a little for Tobias.  I sip on my drink and look over the man next to me.  I still cannot believe that this example of masculine perfection is even interested in me.  I'm still not sure that fooling around with him was the right course of action, but wow has it been fun.  Zeke and Shauna are still on the dance floor, but still I lean very close to Tobias and whisper, "Do you want to head to our room?"

 

"God yes," Tobias moans.  "But, which one is our room?  I thought Zeke and I were sharing?"

 

I can't keep the smile off my face when I explain, "Nah, Shauna and I were never going to hold you to that.  I was just teasing you."

 

"What am I going to do to you?"

 

I nibble on his earlobe before whispering back, "I can think of a couple of things."

 

Tobias groans as he carefully adjusts his pants while I hear him mutter, "I'm not sure how we can leave when I can't walk."

 

Shifting so I am completely sitting on my own chair, I reply, "Okay, okay.  I'll be good.” 

 

I see Tobias put both hands over his face.  "Did I say something wrong?"

 

Tobias still has his face covered but he shakes his head no.  I wait for him to do anything else and finally he drops his hands.  Opening my mouth to question if everything is all right, Tobias places a finger on my lips.  "Shhh," he says.  "Anything you say right now will not help my situation.”  Slowly removing his finger, he replaces it with a quick, chaste kiss.

 

I start to pout, but he stops me.  "No pouting.  No biting your lip and no talking until were out of here.”  At that, I start to laugh.

 

I finish my drink, trying not to even look at him, when after about two minutes he grabs my hand and says, "Okay, let's go.”  I begin to slide my arm around his waist, but he steps away from me.  "Unh-unh," he states keeping my hand firmly gripped in his.

 

Once we're in the elevator and the door closes, he drops my hand and turns to me.  "Sorry about all that.  But, I was half hard all night just from looking at you.  When we were dancing, I wanted to explode.  Then you whispered in my ear and bit my earlobe.”  He reaches a hand up and places a piece of my hair behind my ear, then continues.  "If I had any chance of getting out of there without embarrassing myself, I needed to keep you away from me."

 

I take a step closer to him and see him swallow nervously.  "And, why couldn't I talk?"  I let my finger run up and down his chest while I wait for his answer.

 

"Um.., that was-.”  The elevator dings, interrupting him.  We exit the elevator and start walking toward our room.  When he stops in front of the room door, I nudge, "You never answered."

 

I silently start to chuckle as I see him miss with the card to open the door.  He looks at me, then back at the door, shaking his head.  Taking a deep breath, he unlocks the door and holds it open to me.  I walk in, then turn to him wanting him to answer.  He wraps both arms around me, pulling me to him, before he whispers, "We you said you would be good, my mind started inventorying all of the things that you are good at.  Starting with this," he says as he kisses me deeply.

 

"Um, I would really like to continue with that, but maybe we should haul Zeke's stuff over to Shauna's room."

 

Tobias keeps kissing me.  Moving from my mouth to my jaw and then down my neck.  "He can get his stuff tomorrow," he finally mumbles.

 

I put both hands on his chest and push him back slightly.  I try not to react to the pout that forms on his face, instead reminding him, "Yes, but knowing Zeke, he will come by at a very inopportune time to retrieve his things.  Anyway, when we drop his stuff off, I can grab my bag."

 

Tobias sighs before grabbing everything of Zeke's that he can find and shoving them unceremoniously into a duffle bag.  "Remind me to never let you pack for me," I mutter.  He just grins at me and continues shoving.  Finally he looks around one more time and says, "Done.”  I just smirk at him as I open the door and head back to the elevator with him trailing behind me.

 

I start to open the door to Shauna's room and then wonder if they're back yet.  I knock and when I don't get an answer, we walk in.  Tobias dumps Zeke's duffle bag on the bed.  And, I do mean dump.  Apparently he never zipped it up, so most of the stuff fell out when Tobias threw it on the bed.  I look at him and arch an eyebrow.  "What?" he asks.  "It's Zeke."

 

"Yep," I concur as I pick up my bag.  "And, Shauna.” 

 

I see Tobias' eyebrows raise at that.  He looks back at the bed covered in Zeke's stuff and then walks over and shoves it off onto the floor.  "Problem solved," he smirks.  He turns, takes my bag from out of my hand and heads into the hall.  As he walks out of the room, all I can think is _guys!_   I realize that I'm just standing there when I see Tobias poke his head past the door jamb asking, "You coming?"

 

Laughing, I say, "Yeah.” 

 

He steps forward and grasps my hand, pulling me to him.  "I think we have some unfinished business," he mumbles against my lips.  After I give Tobias a quick kiss, we turn toward the elevator however, Tobias has other ideas.  He throws me over his shoulder and jogs down the hallway.

 

"Put me down," I whine.  "We're in public."

 

Tobias just leers at me as he sets me on my feet at the elevator.  I smack his chest.  "What did you think you were doing?"

 

Leaning down so he can whisper in my ear, he utters, "Making sure you don't get away."

 

I look at him and get lost in his eyes.  "I'm not going anywhere," I state.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I wake up and relish the feeling of my naked body pressed up against Tobias'.  I snuggle into him and enjoy the comfort I feel when I'm with him.  I sense Tobias waking up so I start placing butterfly kisses along his neck and chest.

 

"Good morning," he mumbles in his rough, deep, and very sexy, morning voice.  "That's a wonderful way to wake up."

 

I move kisses from his chest to his lips before relying.  "Well most mornings you are gone before I wake up.  I thought I would take advantage of the situation."

 

Tobias suddenly rolls so that I am under him.  He smashes his mouth into mine and only releases it when we need to surface for air.  "In that case, you can always take advantage of me," he smirks.  Unfortunately, he then pulls away from me.  Grabbing my hand, he pulls me into a sitting position.  "We need to get up.  Knowing Zeke, he would love to surprise us."

 

I nod and slide out of bed.  "I'm going to take a shower.”  I start walking toward the bathroom then look over my shoulder.  "Do you want to join me?"  I laugh when Tobias jumps off the bed and races after me.

 

We take turns using the bathroom, then I get the water running in the shower.  I step in and feel Tobias quickly join me.  I pick up his shampoo and motion for him to bend a little.  I massage the shampoo into his hair, then motion that he can rinse.  He then gets my shampoo and returns the favor.  We continue like this washing each other.  He has ensured that I am squeaky clean everywhere.  He kept washing my breasts until I started laughing that they had never been so clean.  Deciding that I want to play a little, I wash his sculpted chest then his back.  From there I move down, washing his butt and legs.  After I complete his feet, I stand up and begin to put the soap down only to be interrupted by Tobias, "You missed a spot."

 

I look with my most innocent expression, "I did?  Where?"

 

He grabs my hand with the soap and places it on his semi-erect cock.  "Right here."

 

"Sorry about that," I say, still trying to maintain my innocent expression.  Tobias starts laughing until I grab him with a soapy hand.  His laugh quickly changes to a moan. 

 

I continue to wash him, using the lather to my advantage.  As my hand runs up and down his length, he shoots a hand out to the nearest wall to steady himself.  "God, Tris," he groans.

 

Once I'm sure that he's completely clean, I move so the water rinses all of the soap off of him.  I take a moment to admire his erection, but deciding that I want to do something about it.  Before he moves, I take him in my hand again.  He glance down at me in question, but his eyes darken as I slide down to my knees.

 

I'm not a huge fan of this, but Tobias is different.  Everything about him is atypical.  I continuously find myself drawn to him, wanting more of him.  Still holding him in my hand, I lick around the head.  I see Tobias put a second arm out to steady himself and drop his head back.  Gaining confidence, I continue to lick from the base of his shaft to the tip.  Finally, I take him into my mouth, creating suction.  I cannot take his entire length, so I make up the difference with my hand.  I start a very slow rhythm, allowing the desire to build.

 

Ensuring that his cock head rubs against my tongue and the roof of my mouth, I begin to speed up.  "Fuck," I hear him moan, so I increase speed again.  I move my other hand up and begin to roll his balls in my palm.  "Oh God... fuck... Tris...”  Feeling him begin to swell, I know he is extremely close.  I suck even harder and keep up my rhythm.  Suddenly his body stiffens and he's spurting his seed into my mouth.  Just as I start to stand up, there's pounding on the bathroom door and Zeke shouting, "Quit having sex in there.  It's time to go."

 

I turn off the water and grab a towel, give it to Tobias, then get one for myself.  I dry off quickly, then wrap the towel around me.  I open the door, very thankful that we had closed it, and see Zeke standing there with a smirk on his face.  "We weren't having sex," I tell him.

 

Zeke just laughs and replies, "That's not what that grin on Four's face says."

 

Without thinking, I retort, "We didn't have sex.  I just gave him head."

 

I see a smug look form on Tobias' face and Zeke's mouth fall open in shock.  I walk by Zeke and push his mouth shut with one finger.  I grab my clothes then look back at Zeke still standing in the same spot.  Tobias sees me and turns to Zeke, "Get the fuck out of here so we can get dressed.”  He then walks to the dresser and picks up his keys.  Throwing them at Zeke, he tells him, "Go get your stuff loaded.  We'll be down in a bit."

 

Zeke snaps out of his stupor when the keys are flying toward him.  He grabs them and just nods as he leaves.  When the door shuts, Tobias glances at me smiling, "I've never known anyone to get Zeke to shut up.”  I just smirk and get dressed.

 

**-Four POV-**

We've gone around town picking items up for Sally.  We only have Sam's left.  I give half of the list to Zeke and Shauna while Tris and I work on the other half.  Tris is looking over the different types of jam, so I leave the cart next to her and walk to the next isle to pick up two boxes.  As I round the corner, I see Tris standing stiffly, backed up against crates of peanut butter.  Standing in front of her is Peter.

 

As I walk closer, neither of them are talking, but you can cut the tension with a knife.  I step up next to Tris.  "Everything all right here?" I try to ask calmly.

 

Peter drags his eyes from Tris to me.  His glare deepens as he takes me in.  "Everything is fine," he sneers.  "We were just catching up."

 

"No, we weren't, Peter.”  Tris snarls.  "I told you to leave me the fuck alone."

 

Peter just leers before walking away.  "Until next time, sweetheart," he calls before he turns the corner and we can't see him anymore.

 

"That guy has issues," I mutter.

 

Tris snorts and replies, "You don't know the half of it.”  After the words leave her mouth, her eyes widen slightly like she's surprised she said that.

 

I take her small hand in mine and give it a slight squeeze.  "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah, I'm fine.”  She glances at me then looks back at the floor.  "I think I owe you an explanation."

 

I chuckle slightly remembering her words to me, "No you don't, Tris."

 

"Yeah, I do," she responds.  Taking a deep breath, she explains, "When I started going out with Peter, it was great.  He was really sweet.  But, that soon began to change.  He started to question where I was when he wasn't with me and he encouraged me to only do what he wanted me to do.  I didn't like those changes, so I broke up with him."

 

It feels like her story is missing elements and then I realize what it is.  "He didn't hit you did he?" I growl.

 

"No."

 

"But...?" I query.  I know that that was not the whole answer.

 

Tris looks sheepish as she replies, "He tried.  Once.”  I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.  She continues, "When I broke up with him, he swung a punch at me, but I ducked.  I then kneed him in the balls and left."

 

Without even thinking, I pull her in for a hug.  Kissing the top of her head I say, "That's my girl.”  A moment later what I said hits me.  _Oh, shit._


	13. The Rodeo

**-Tris POV-**

June just flew by while Tobias and I kept training, among other things, but now the rodeo is tomorrow.  I've got to get all of my clothes and tack ready and packed up in the trailer.  Since we are representing Dauntless Ranch, we are taking one of their big horse trailers instead of my smaller one.  As I gather items, I see a car pull up to the house.  Caleb!  Without a thought, I drop everything and run to see him.

 

He has just stepped out of the car when I come up behind him and jump on his back.  "Oomph, Bea!  Are you trying to kill me?"

 

I let him go and meet his hug as he turns toward me.  "I missed you, Caleb."

 

He swings me around, still hugging me.  Finally he sets me on my feet and kisses my forehead.  I lay my cheek on his chest, not wanting to let him go yet.  "You know, Bea.  I need to-"

 

"What the hell is going on here?" Tobias growls.

 

I'm still smiling when I turn toward Tobias, but when I see him it surprises me.  There is anger and hurt on his face.  "Four, I want you to meet Caleb.  Caleb, Four."

 

I'm really confused when neither of them make a move to shake hands or even acknowledge each other.  I glance at Caleb and he is standing there glaring at Tobias.  "What is wrong with you guys?" I ask.  Neither of them say anything.  Finally I have had enough.  I grab Caleb's hand and begin to drag him toward the door.  "Come on, Caleb.  Grandma hasn't seen you in ages."

 

I get Caleb in the house but then he stops me.  "Who was that?"

 

"Four?  He's a friend.  He works for Grandma and Grandpa around the ranch.  Why?"

 

Caleb had scoffed when I had said Tobias was a friend, but I'm not expecting what he says next.  "He likes you."

 

I just smile as I walk into the kitchen.

 

**-Caleb POV-**

"Hi, Grandma," I say with a smile as I see her. 

 

"Caleb," she shouts as she engulfs me in a giant hug.

 

Once Grandma lets up a little, Tris says, "I'm going to leave you guys to catch up.  I still have a bunch of stuff I need to do for tomorrow.  Come over to the apartment this afternoon, Caleb.  Okay?"

 

I nod at her as I say, "I will.”  Grabbing a cup of coffee I join my grandma at the table.  After I take a drink, I turn to my grandma.  "So what's up with her and this Four character?"

 

Grandma pats me on the cheek as she gets up to refill her coffee cup.  "Caleb honey, they're in love."

 

"Love!" I say jumping out of my seat.  "She was supposed to come out and help you, not fall in love with some farm laborer!"

 

"Shhh.  Caleb, sit down.  They don't even realize it.  Well, actually Tris doesn't realize it.  I think Four might.”  She smiles at me encouragingly and moves her eyes from me to my chair.  I sit down and she continues, "And, don't sell Four short.  There is more to him than you will ever know.  I watched that boy grow up, you know."

 

"B-b-but, still she's too young.  And what?  Is she supposed to stay here?"  I shake my head.  I can't believe that this is happening.

 

Grandma actually chuckles at that.  "Neither you nor I know where she will end up.  How about we just let her live her life and see how it turns out?"

 

**-Four POV-**

Sally and I are just finishing up discussing the morning feed and things about the rodeo when we hear a car pull up.  We talk about a few more things then I tell her I'm going to go see who drove up.  As I walk out of the house, I'm flabbergasted by what I see.

 

There is a tall, good looking man swinging Tris around, hugging her.  To top it off when he finally sits her down, he kisses her forehead.  Anger rises faster than I can control when I see her lay her cheek on his chest with her hands still around his waist.

 

"What the hell is going on here?" I growl.  Now I know why she wouldn't date me.  She has him!

 

Tris turns to me smiling.  "Four, I want you to meet Caleb.  Caleb, Four," she says.

 

I just glare at this guy and he just glares back at me.  "What is wrong with you guys?" Tris asks.  _Am I supposed to like your fucking boyfriend?_   Finally Tris seems to be upset with both of us.  She just grunts and grabs Caleb's hand before dragging him into the house.  I vaguely hear her say, "Come on, Caleb.  Grandma hasn't seen you in ages.”  Great, Sally knows him too!  What was this just some big joke to Sally?

 

I storm off to the barn, but as I get there, I realize that I can't work.  I am beyond pissed at both Sally and Tris.  I decide that I need to get out of here for a while so I head to my truck.  Just as I'm opening the truck door, I hear Tris.  "Tobias, what's wrong?"

 

My hand grips the truck door so hard that it hurts, but right now I welcome the pain.  It grounds me.  "What do you mean, what's wrong?  It seems everything is great with you."

 

I feel Tris put her hand on my back as she begins, "I don't underst-"

 

Her touch disgusts me right now and I jerk away from her hand.  "You don't understand?  You don't understand how I didn't enjoy meeting your boyfriend?"

 

"Boyfriend?" Tris yelps.  Then she starts laughing.

 

I slam my truck door and turn to walk away from her.  I need to get away from her.  Before I take more than two steps though, her hands wrap around my waist.  "Tobias, stop.  Stop!"  When I stop walking, Tris continues, "Caleb is my brother."

 

"Brother?" I mutter.

 

"Yep," she says.  "I haven't seen him since Christmas.  We were excited to see each other."

 

I look down at her.  "Brother?  Not boyfriend?"

 

"Brother," she assures me.  I put my right hand over my eyes and drag it down my face.  _Boy do I feel like an ass._

 

**-Tris POV-**

The sun is barely cresting the horizon when we pull into the rodeo grounds.  There is already a line of horse trailers off to the side.  Tobias pulls up into the next available spot.  I'm surprised at how nervous I am.  While I have been to lots of shows before, I was always representing myself.  This time, I am representing Dauntless.  I feel like I cannot let my grandparents down.

 

Before we get out of the truck, Tobias looks at me.  He grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.  "Do you want me to go and get you checked in or do you want me to unload the horses?"

 

I weigh my options.  "I guess I'll go get checked in.  I need to recon the place anyway.”  He nods and kisses my hand before letting it go.

 

I head over to the office and get checked in.  Everything is going smoothly until someone wraps their arm around my waist.  Without even thinking about it, I know it isn't Tobias so I swing my elbow back as hard as I can, hitting them in the side.  As the person lets me go, I turn to see who it is.  Eric.  Of course.

 

"What the hell!" Eric yells. 

 

I see people turning to look at us, but I'm not going to back down to this guy!  "I could ask you the same thing, Eric.  Do you normally accost women you barely know?"

 

"Oh, honey.  We know each other," Eric says with a leer.  "Remember that dance?"

 

"I remember you grabbing me on the dance floor and not letting me leave.  That was also over a month and a half ago.  I think you are confused about the definition of know.”  I sneer.  Eric takes a step toward me like he is going to hug me.  "Get the fuck away from me, Eric.  We aren't friends and we don't know each other.”  With that I collect my paperwork and head back to the trailer.

 

When I get back to the trailer, I see a very pretty, brunette, shapely woman talking to Tobias.  She is standing quite close to him and keeps putting her hand on his chest.  As I get closer, I can hear what they are talking about.

 

"But Four, you told me you weren't competing today," she whines.

 

Tobias curtly responds, "I'm not."

 

She rubs his chest again before leaning even closer to him.  "Why do you have Dauntless horses here then?  I offered to ride their horses for the rodeo and was turned down.  I'm the best rider here.  Who else would be riding their horses?"

 

I've had enough.  Even if Tobias and I aren't officially a couple, that doesn't mean I want to watch some slut slobber all over him.  "I'm riding for Dauntless."

 

Tobias looks relieved to have an interruption.  The slut looks annoyed as she turns and regards me.  Since I will need to be dressed different for show jumping than for barrels and reining, I'm just wearing comfortable yoga pants, tennis shoes, and a loose t-shirt.  As she looks me up and down, she sneers, "And who might you be?"

 

I decide that I don't feel like sharing since I instantly don't like her, so I tell her, "I'm the one riding a Dauntless horse.  Who are you?"

 

"I'm Nita.  I've been the rodeo queen here for the last five years."

 

"Eh, okay.  Well you're in the way.  We need to finish unloading the horses.”  I motion for her to move out of the way.  She scowls at me before looking at Tobias as if he will save her.  He just nods at me.  Not getting the support that she was looking for she stomps off.

 

I look at Tobias and raise an eyebrow.  "I guess everyone comes out to this event, even the town whore."

 

At that, Tobias starts laughing.  "Yeah, you could say that.  I couldn't get rid of her.  I'd never been so happy to see you."

 

"Well, I got checked in to both the horse show and the rodeo.  If they keep close to their schedule, I shouldn't have any issues."

 

Tobias starts to open the back of the trailer.  "What time are the events?"

 

I glance at my paperwork again.  "Luckily, the show jumping is early, around 9:00.  The reining is scheduled for noon, and the barrel racing for 3:00.” 

 

We work together and quickly get all three horses settled.  After getting them set up with food and water, Tobias looks at me.  "I'm here to support you today.  What do you want to do now?"

 

"Actually, I would like to look around.  Let's get Cisco and Moose saddled up.  We can ride them around and look everything over.  Once we're done with that, I can change and we can get Sophie saddled up."

 

Tobias nods, but as he goes to get the tack he stops and turns back.  "Which one do you want to ride?"

 

I think about this.  "Moose is an old hand.  He won't care about the situation.  Why don't you ride him?"  Tobias just nods before stepping the rest of the way into the trailer.

 

As I stand next to the horses, observing them and my surroundings, I'm surprised at how much attention our trailer seems to have gathered.  The side of the trailer says 'Dauntless Ranch' in very large black letters surrounded by red flames.  Everyone knows who we are.  Everyone also knows Dauntless and knows that they sell working horses.  They don't show.  I mean they never show.  I guess people are wondering what's up and why we're here.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

As we ride around the rodeo grounds, Cisco is dancing around looking at everything, very excited.  I need to work him some and get his jitters down.  I'm thinking of lunging him out for 20-30 minutes before I even start on Sophie.  Moose is the exact opposite.  He looks like he is bored with the whole ordeal.  As we pass other horses and they whinny, he doesn't even acknowledge them.  Cisco wants to go meet everyone and keeps 'talking' back.

 

We have almost completed one circuit of the rodeo grounds when I see something flying at Cisco's head.  We both react instinctively.  He jumps up and sideways while I grab the saddle horn and clamp my knees tight, hoping to stay in the saddle.  I had assumed that Cisco would take off at a run after that jump, but both he and I are drawn up tight as we slam into a hard object.  Apparently when he jumped sideways, he flew into the back of a horse trailer.

 

The jolt of the hit shocks us both.  He stops immediately and I jump down to look him over.  Before I can even bend over to look at Cisco, Tobias has gathered me in a bear hug while asking if I'm alright.  "I'm fine.  I'm worried about Cisco.  He hit the trailer hard."

 

I turn and begin to run my hands all over Cisco's side and legs, looking for any injuries.  I'm not even paying attention to anything else when I hear Tobias, "You knew she was there when you threw that cup!"

 

I look up to see what is going on and see Tobias towering over Nita with a look of fury on his face.  Whatever she did, I don't think that this was the response that she expected.  She tries to get him to settle down by placing her hand on his bicep and saying, "Four, I really didn't see her there.  Maybe if she could control her horse, there wouldn't be a problem.  Your horse didn't react.  I mean it really wasn't a big deal."

 

If anything, Tobias looks angrier as he brushes her hand off of him.  He growls at her, "Nita, I don't know what you're playing at, but know that you will _never_ ride a Dauntless horse.”  She harrumphs at his statement, but before she can say anything else he continues, "Tris is ten times the rider you are.  And, my horse wasn't hit in the face with a cup full of ice!  You tossed it over him, making sure to hit Tris' horse."

 

Feeling that if I don't intercede soon this situation will really boil over, I step up to Tobias.  "Four, I think Cisco is fine.  He is a little shaken up and will probably have some bruising, but he seems okay.  Let's get him back to the trailer."

 

He continues to glare at Nita and I'm worried that this situation will really blow up, when he finally lets out a long breath and nods at me.  I turn and mount Cisco while Tobias just walks next to us.  Since he is between Moose and Cisco, I am able to bend over and put a hand on his shoulder.  He looks up at me in question.  "It's okay.  We're okay.”  I see him nod again and he finally seems to relax a little.

 

When we get back to the trailer, I change my mind about working Cisco out.  Instead of me doing it, I think Tobias should do it.  It will get his mind off of the incident plus he knows Cisco better than I do.  "Hey, we need to work Cisco.  It will help settle him down and will get his mind off of what just happened.”  I start to unsaddle Cisco while Tobias gets Moose settled.  Next, I grab two lunge lines.  I hand one to him and take the other to Sophie.  "You can work Cisco while I start on Sophie's warm up."

 

With that, we take both horses over to the warm up arena.  I start Sophie off and work her for about 15 minutes.  When I'm done, I call over to Tobias, "I'm taking Sophie back.  I'll finish her warm up in the saddle.  Why don't you finish Cisco and I'll go get us some breakfast?"

 

I see Tobias nod, so I walk with Sophie back to the trailer.  Tying her up, I head over to the concession stand for coffee and breakfast.  Just as I'm leaving the concession stand, someone grabs my shoulder.  Once again, I recognize the touch as not belonging to Tobias so I am instantly on guard.  Turning I see Eric again.  _What the hell?_

 

"Eric, what do you want?  I'm busy."

 

He chuckles as he looks at me.  "Oh, I thought I could help you out today.  You know.  Show you the ropes.” 

 

I scowl, disgusted.  "I'm fine.  Leave me alone.”  I turn to leave, but he pulls me back.  Before I know it, he has placed a kiss right on my lips.  I don't even think about what I'm doing.  I drop the coffee and food, push him away, and then punch him in the nose.

 

"Fuck!" Eric screeches as he grabs his nose.  "You bitch!"

 

"I've told you to leave me alone, Eric.  I mean it.”  I turn back to the concession line, trying to ignore the stares.  By the time I get to the front of the line to order again, I'm really pissed.  I mean how dare he? 

 

The guy taking my order hands me my food and pushes my money back at me.  "Eric is an ass and that punch you threw was priceless.  The order is on the house."

 

Instantly my anger is gone and I say, "Thank you.”  I smile at the concession worker before I walk back to the trailer.  When I get there, I check on Moose and Sophie.  They both look thoroughly bored so I know they are fine.  I grab a folding chair and sit down to enjoy my coffee. 

 

After about ten minutes, Tobias returns with Cisco.  "Is he doing okay?" I ask.

 

Tobias nods and ties Cisco to the side of the trailer.  Walking over to me he grabs the second cup of coffee.  "Thanks for the coffee."

 

"You're welcome.  I got some snacks too.  They're in the box there on the tailgate.”  Tobias walks over and grabs a danish then sits down next to me.  We chat for a while and then decide that we should probably get Sophie warmed up.

 

Four follows me into the trailer as I go to get changed.  He is grabbing Sophie's tack and I don't even think about stepping out of my pants in front of him.  But then, I hear Tobias gasp.  Looking quickly at him, I see him staring at my right leg.  Looking down I see a bruise from just above my knee down to almost my ankle.  "I thought you said you were fine," Tobias accuses.

 

I shrug.  "I am fine.  Cisco took the brunt of it.  My leg was trapped between him and the trailer though.”  I look down at it again before starting to pull on my stockings.  "It will probably hurt tomorrow, but I'm fine right now.”  With that I stand up and pull on my tan breeches, effectively covering the object of our discussion.  I grab my white shirt and trade it for my t-shirt.  I then pull on my black English riding boots.  I carefully brush my hair and put it up into a tight bun.  Finding my helmet, gloves, choker, and jacket, I exit the trailer.

 

I see that Tobias has Sophie saddled up and ready.  I put my helmet on and set the other items on the trailer fender.  I won't need them until the actual class.  I untie Sophie and lead her away from the trailer.  Tobias walks up next to me and gives me a boost into the saddle.  I settle into the irons and head over to the show ring to warm up.  We don't make it ten feet before I hear Nita's nasally voice again.  _Oh my God.  Is she everywhere?_ Thankfully she isn't talking to me, but when she sees Tobias, she bears down on him. 

 

She comes to a stop directly in his path.  I decide to stop also, because I'm curious as to what she'll come up with this time.  It's only after I stop that Nita realizes that I'm the one on the horse.  For some reason, she thinks this is funny.  Laughing she looks at Tobias, "You are really letting _her_ ride for Dauntless?  God, Four.  Look at her getup.  Does she even know what a real saddle looks like?"

 

Tobias seems to have lost all patience because he just tells her, "Nita, get lost."

 

Nita huffs and starts to turn away.  I don't know what comes over me, but I ask, "Oh, Nita?  What classes are you competing in today?  You know so I can see a real horsewoman ride?"  As I say this, I can see Tobias biting his bottom lip, trying not to laugh.  My sarcasm, however, goes right over Nita's head.

 

"Besides the Rodeo Queen competition, I only compete in barrel racing."

 

I almost smirk at her response.  "Good to know Nita.  I'll see you there.”  I cue Sophie forward and we leave for the practice ring.  Getting there, I work Sophie through her paces. 

 

By 7:30 Sophie is warmed up and ready.  I exit the arena and head back to the trailer.  When I get there, I drop to the ground and then take off her saddle to let her back cool off.  The show jumping is scheduled for 9:00.  I sit down with the course diagram to study it.  We are able to walk through the course at 8:00 but I need to know what to expect before I get there.

 

I fold up the map and start to walk over to the show ring.  About halfway there, I run into Tobias.  "Hey, where are you headed?" he asks.

 

"I need to do the walkthrough before the show jumping.  It's at 8:00.”  I see him glance at his watch and he spins on his heels to follow me.  When we get to the ring, I wait with the others who will be competing.  Soon the judge walks over and explains the basics of the course.  When the judge is done, we are released to walk the course.  Tobias follows me as I walk from jump to jump trying to determine what line I will need to take.  On a couple of the jumps, I stop and pace off specific distances to judge where Sophie will need to take off.

 

By the time the announcer states that we need to exit the ring, I feel pretty good about what I need to do.  Tobias has looked confused through most of the walkthrough but has kept quiet.  Once we are out of the arena, he says, "I didn't want to bother you during the walkthrough, but what were you doing?"

 

As we walk back to the trailer I show him the map and explain how it's up to each rider to determine the line up for the jumps.  I was calculating where Sophie would need to start her jumps and where I would need to shorten her stride, etc.  By the time we're at the trailer, I think he understands.  "During the class, watch each rider.  Everyone will ride the course slightly differently," I finally tell him.

 

I re-saddle Sophie and get my gloves, choker, and jacket.  I make sure my show number is pinned to the back of my jacket.  Putting each of the items on, I'm ready for the show.  Tobias gives me a boost up into the saddle and we walk back over to the show ring.  It's still a little before 9:00, so the class hasn't started yet.  Tobias is standing right next to me so I kick a foot out of the iron and nudge him with my toe.  "What?" he queries.

 

"Since you haven't seen show jumping before, you will see more if you go up into the stands.  On the rail, all you will see is the jumps right in front of you.”  I can see that he is going to object, but I stop him.  "I need to stay here, but there isn't anything that you can do to help.  Go where you can see."

 

I can see the gears turning in his head, but finally he nods.  "Okay, but if you need anything wave for me."

 

"Of course," I tell him.  He squeezes my leg before he heads over to the stands and finds a good seat.  I relax in the saddle and wait for my turn to compete.  Watching others in this class, I am pleasantly surprised at the level of talent being displayed.  I wasn't sure about competing in show jumping in the middle of nowhere.  About midway through the pack, Sophie and I are called into the ring.  We go through the course clean.  I was worried about one jump when I heard her hoof hit it, but the pole remained in the cups.

 

Once everyone has competed, they announce that three of us had clean rounds under the allotted time, therefore, we will compete in a jump off.  I'm startled when Tobias asks me, "What's a jump off?"

 

"When contestants are tied after the run, the course is shortened.  You have to run the course with the fastest time and the lowest number of faults.  I just hope I don't have to go first."

 

The judge gathers the three of us with clean rounds together and explains which jumps will be included in the jump off.  We are given ten minutes to re-walk the course before the first competitor is called into the ring.  Luckily, I get to go last.  This gives me a huge advantage in that I can see the route that my other competitors used.  I also know the time that I need to beat to win.

 

Right before I enter the arena, Tobias gives Sophie a pat on the neck and me a pat on my thigh.  I'm keyed up, thinking about what we need to do.  The course that we need to run is laid out in my head as I cue Sophie to start.  Unlike the original run which was carefully controlled and almost slow in execution, the jump off run is fast.  I pull Sophie into tight turns and we race for jumps.  Time is of the essence now, but I need to make sure she is set up to jump correctly or we will have faults.  There has already been one clean round in the jump off, so unless we run clean, we have no chance at winning.

 

As usual, Sophie is a professional and she performs beautifully.  She jumps well and we make it through clean.  As I pull her to a stop, I look over at the timekeeper.  She announces our time and I know that we have won!

 

Since we were the last team to do the jump off, the judge quickly gets the paperwork in order and then calls everyone in this class into the show ring.  They announce the winner and issue ribbons for first through sixth.  Grinning ear to ear, I exit the arena to see Tobias standing there waiting for me.  The smile on his face would make you think that he had just won first, but I find that I'm happy that he's happy.

 

We get back to the trailer at almost 11:00.  This gives me plenty of time to get Sophie settled, eat some lunch, and then get ready for the reining event.  I completely change my clothes.  While show jumping required that I wear breeches, English boots, choker, jacket, and helmet, reining requires that I wear a long sleeve shirt, pants, boots, and a hat.  I undo my bun and put my hair into a french braid.  When I walk out of the trailer, completely changed from english to western, I see that Tobias has Cisco ready to go.  We walk over to the arena where the reining competition will take place.

 

We're waiting for our turn when Nita walks up.  I can't seem to get away from her today.  She starts to lean against Tobias, but he takes a step away.  Nita looks frustrated, but still smiles up at him.  She then says the last thing I could have imagined, "Four, when you're done working today, why don't we hang out.  I mean I know you are only around Tris because it's your job.  She's with Eric.  They were even kissing at the concession stand this morning."

 

Tobias whips his head over to look at me.  Before he can even ask, I seethe, "Eric and I are NOT together.  And, we were not kissing!  He kissed me and I punched him.  End of story."

 

Tobias chuckles, "You punched him?"

 

"Yep," I nod.  "Right in the nose.  Unfortunately, I don't think I broke it.  The guy running the concession stand enjoyed it so much, he replaced our coffee and food for free.”  By the time I'm done talking, we're both smiling.  I see Nita look at each of us with her scowl growing by the second.

 

I decide I've had enough of her.  "Hey, Nita?" I smile.  "We need to discuss some issues with Cisco before it's our turn.  Do you mind leaving us alone so we can talk business?"  She glances at Tobias and then glares at me before stomping away.

 

Tobias steps next to me, placing a hand on the pommel of the saddle.  "What do we need to talk about?"

 

I chuckle, "Nothing.  I just wanted her gone.”  He laughs with me when he hears that.  We make small talk until our number is called to enter the arena.

 

"You've got this," Tobias tells me.  He squeezes my leg and gives Cisco a pat on the neck before I straighten up to ride into the arena.  In reining, I know I am judged as soon as Cisco sets foot into the arena so I carefully guide him to the starting point.  Once we are there and stopped, I take a deep breath.  Well, here goes nothing.

 

I cue Cisco forward and we begin the run down the middle of the arena.  Once we pass the end marker, we do a left rollback, then run down to the opposite end of the arena.  Passing that end marker, Cisco does a perfect right rollback then we run to the middle of the arena where we slide to a stop.  We backup, hesitate, then spin to the right four times.  At the end of the spins, we hesitate and then spin to the left four and a half times.  Hesitating again, we then begin the large, fast circles to the right.  We do two circles fast, then one circle slow.  I cue for a lead change and we begin two large circles fast to the left before changing to a slow, small circle.  Completing that, we change leads then run almost all of a large circle to the right, slide to a stop and hesitate.  I then ride Cisco forward to the ground judge.  We stop in front of him and I dismount, dropping my reins on the ground.  The judge does a quick check of Cisco's tack and releases us to leave the arena.

 

As I pass through the arena gate, a smile breaks across my face.  We did it!  I pat Cisco on the neck and tell him he did good.  Tobias is right next to us with a smile across his face too.  I know we weren't perfect, but for a first time, I feel real good about our performance.  "You did great," Tobias tells me.

 

"Thanks-"

 

"Um, excuse me.  I was wondering if I could talk to you about your horse?"  We both turn to look at a middle aged gentleman dressed in worn boots and faded jeans.  I'm surprised when Tobias sticks out his hand and says, "I'm Four.  This is Tris and Cisco.”  Since Tobias doesn't know this guy, I guess he isn't from around here.

 

Tobias and the gentleman who I learn is John, continue their discussion about Cisco.  I keep an ear open to their conversation, but watch the last two reining contestants.  Once they are done, all contestants are called to re-enter the arena.  I nod to Tobias and walk in.  There are seven of us lined up as they explain that the judging for this event was difficult.  Finally they call out first place as a buckskin gelding who was absolutely a joy to watch.  However, I'm floored when Cisco and I are identified as winning second place.  I thank the judge as he hands me the ribbon.  This is better than my first place in show jumping earlier today.  I can't believe we did this!  Finally our class is dismissed and I trot out to meet Tobias.

 

Tobias and John are still standing there, but this time they both offer their congratulations to our accomplishment.  John seems even more impressed when he finds out that not only was this Cisco's first reining event, but mine too.  We begin to head back to the trailer when John announces that he would like to discuss purchasing Cisco.  Tobias explains that neither of us are the owners, but he can call them.  John nods so Tobias calls my grandmother.  He briefly explains the situation and then passes his phone to John.

 

We work together to unsaddle and brush Cisco.  When were done, John hands Tobias his phone.  Just as it touches Tobias' hand, it rings.  Tobias answers and I can tell it is my grandma.  The call is short and when Tobias hangs up, he turns to John, "Sally mentioned that you should ride Cisco before you make up your mind.  Would you like to do that now or wait until tomorrow at the ranch?  Tris still has barrel racing today so we won't be heading back for a couple of hours."

 

John seems to think about and decides to ride him now.  I go and get Tobias's saddle and we get Cisco ready.  As John rides away, I turn to Tobias with a huge smile.  "I can't believe someone is interested in Cisco after one show.  Did Grandma indicate whether this seems solid or not?"

 

Tobias grins back at me as he replies, "It seems real solid.  Sally mentioned that he has another one of our horses.  He was visiting family one town over and they decided to stop by the rodeo.  I guess he is really impressed with Cisco."

 

I start to work on Moose more to keep myself busy than because it has to be done now.  I'm futzing around with his saddle when John comes back on Cisco.  Tobias and John start talking and before long John walks off with a brief wave to me.  I turn to Tobias, "So what happened?"

 

"He's going to buy him.  I guess he called Sally while he was riding and they have already negotiated everything.  He'll swing by tomorrow and pick him up."

 

All of a sudden both of our phones buzz that we have received a text.  I grab mine and cannot believe what I'm reading.  My grandma sent a text to both of us letting us know that Cisco sold for $5,000.  She also thanked us both for making it possible.  I look up at Tobias and he seems stunned.  "It's been awhile since I talked to Grandma about it, but don't the working horses sell for about $2,000 to $2,500?"

 

Tobias looks at me and smiles.  "Yeah, they do.  With just a little extra training, Cisco doubled that.  I'd call that a success."

 

I can't stand it so I give him a hug.  "You made it a success.  Thank you," I tell him.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I'm waiting for my turn at barrels, just lounging in the saddle when I see Tobias climb the stairs to the announcer's booth.  I wonder what he is up to, but before I can think about it too much, Nita is called up.  She flashes a smile at anyone who might be looking at her and waves her hand around like she's on a parade float.  Finally, she lines up for her run.  The run is okay, recording a time of 17.9 seconds.

 

"Our last contestant, representing Dauntless Ranch, is Tris Prior.  Not only is Tris riding a Dauntless trained horse today, but this pair are two time NCAA barrel racing champions."

 

When she had finished her run, Nita, wearing a broad smirk, had stopped her horse right next to me.  When the announcer had said my name, her head jerked up and she had glared at me.  When he mentioned that I was a champion barrel racer, I swear you could see steam coming out of her ears.  I chuckle because I know Tobias was behind that little trick.  Still chuckling, I say, "See you, Nita," as I move Moose into position.

 

Now Moose seems like he lives his life asleep.  That is, unless he is running.  This horse just loves to run.  He knows exactly what we are getting ready to do and he begins to bounce on his toes.  I turn to the judges to make sure that I'm cleared to start.  They give me a nod.  "Okay boy.  Are you ready?" I ask Moose.  He shuffles sideways but won't take off until I give him the go ahead.

 

Sitting there another moment, I wait until everything seems right.  Then, I raise the reins and give Moose a squeeze.  He takes off like a shot.  We race to the first barrel and slide around it.  Moose doesn't run as much as he jumps away from it.  Racing around the second one, we throw dirt everywhere.  I lean forward in the saddle, encouraging him faster as we race to the last barrel.  Turning around it, my toe hits it, but I know I didn't knock it over.  As we exit the last barrel, I lightly tap my heels to Moose's flanks and lean over his neck.  He leaps forward even faster than before.  We fly to the finish and as we almost leave the arena, I pull him to a stop.

 

Before I can do anything else, Tobias has pulled me out of the saddle and given me a big hug.  I hear the crowd roaring, but I still haven't heard my time.  "Folks, folks," I hear the announcer trying to quiet people down.  "That was a hell of a ride, wasn't it?"  The crowd yells again.  Finally everything quiets down and the announcer begins again.  "Folks, I think we just saw the best damn barrel race that has ever been run in this arena.  Coming from Dauntless we knew she would be good, but not that good.  I know we don't keep arena records, but maybe we should start.  That run was 15.2 seconds--.”  Anything else the announcer was going to say is lost to the crowd noise.  Tobias hugs me again and, much to my surprise, gives me a big kiss.  However, I turn red when the announcer follows with, "I don't blame you, Four.  If I was down there, I'd give her a kiss too!"  _God, why does everyone have to know everyone else in a small town?_ The crowd is laughing as I'm trying to hide my face in Moose's side.


	14. The Beginning of the End

**-Tris POV-**

(Still at 4th of July Rodeo)

We are picking up the last items around the trailer, trying to get everything ready to go before we load the horses, when someone walks up and asks, "Tris?"

 

I turn around and see a man in his thirties or early forties standing near the back of the trailer.  "Yes," I ask walking toward him. 

 

"I'm Frank Garrett," he says extending his hand.  I shake it but don't say anything so he continues, "I'm the local doctor in town.  Sally mentioned that you had passed your RN test and I was wondering if you could help me out for a couple of weeks."

 

I just nod at him to continue and he does.  "My nurse has been with the practice longer than I have.  You could say she came with the building," he laughs.  "Her youngest son just had his first child.  My nurse, Betty, wants to take two weeks off to go to San Francisco and spend time with the new baby.  I need someone to help me out while she is gone."

 

"Um, I don't know what to say?" I tell him.  "Mr. Garrett, you know that I haven't worked as a nurse yet and that I don't have my RN yet either."

 

He waves his hand and says, "That doesn't matter.  If you're even 10% like your grandmother, I know you'll be a hard worker.  You passed your schooling so I know that you've had your clinicals and I don't need an RN, I just need someone to help.  I'm not saying the RN isn't great, but mainly I just need someone who knows what's going on.  It won't even be full time.  I just need you to cover during my walk in hours and for a couple of my appointments."

 

I think about it briefly and I catch Tobias out of the corner of my eye.  He has a happy, hopeful expression on his face.  I hate to admit it, but having an excuse to stay a couple more weeks wouldn't be all bad.  "Sure, Mr. Garrett, I'll do it.  When do you need me?"

 

"Call me Frank and here's my card.  Call or email me tomorrow.  I'll let you know what I need for the next week.  And, thank you.  This is a huge help.”  With that he turns and leaves. 

 

I'm still stunned at the turn of events when Tobias walks up to me.  "Are you okay?"

 

Smiling I say, "I'm great.  This has been one hell of a day.  On the downside, dealing with Eric and Nita, but two wins and a second, then selling Cisco, and now helping out in a doctor's office.  I don't think this day can get any better."

 

Tobias smirks before saying, "I can think of a thing or two to make it better."

 

I elbow him in the side laughing, "You're insatiable."

 

I turn to walk over to Moose, but he stops me by whispering in my ear, "Only for you."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

After we get the horses unloaded at home, everyone meets up at the house.  I'm still excited for the great day I had.  Grandma made a ton of food and we all sit down to eat.  We rehash the day and I tell everyone about my temporary job offer. 

 

Grandpa surprises Tobias with telling him that he feels good enough to start doing the weekend feedings again.  I know Tobias will be thrilled to actually be able to sleep in on the weekends.  However, if my grandpa is going to be wandering around early on the weekends, we will need to be more careful with our 'visits' to each others' place.  I notice that everyone had finished eating so I volunteer Caleb and myself to wash the dishes

 

I'm washing then handing the items to Caleb to rinse and dry when I see him staring at Tobias again.  "Caleb, quit glaring at Four."

 

"I'm not glaring," he mutters.  I look at him with an 'are you serious' expression.  "Yeah, well, what was up with that kiss after your barrel run?"

 

I feel a slight blush starting, but try to calm myself.  "We're just friends, Caleb.  He was excited.  The kiss didn't mean anything."

 

He looks at me like he doesn't believe me.  I try to get his mind on something else, "Caleb, are you staying with me or here in the house?"

 

He snorts, "Gee, a couch or a bed?  What a choice.  I'm staying in the house."

 

I give him a hug.  "Okay, sleep well.  I'll wander over once I wake up, but based upon the long day I've had, I'll probably sleep till noon.”  I walk over and give both Grandma and Grandpa hugs too before telling Tobias goodnight.  I leave the house, but don't head to the apartment.  Instead I lean against Tobias' truck, waiting for him.

 

Less than five minutes later, Tobias meets me at his truck.  After moving a piece of my hair behind my ear, he asks, "What do you want to do tonight?"

 

"I'm not sure," I sigh.  "I'm worried about Caleb.  If I go to your place, he's going to question me coming back in the morning.  If you stay here, someone will recognize your truck.”  Neither one of us seems to have an answer and then I remember something.  "Oh, Grandma mentioned to me when she showed me the apartment that there is a parking spot behind the place that no one can see.  I've never checked it out."

 

Tobias smirks before asking, "You want to take a walk and check it out?"

 

Smiling back I answer, "Yep, let's go.”  We walk around the back of the apartment and see the area that my grandma must have been talking about.  "Do you think this will work?" I ask Tobias.

 

Nodding he looks at me.  "I'll see you soon.” 

 

I walk to the apartment while Tobias goes back to his truck.  Once I close the door, it really hits me how tired I am.  I head to the bathroom and start a shower.  When I'm done I head into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around me.  Tobias is laying on the bed wearing just his boxer briefs playing on his phone.  When he hears me, he smiles.  "Feel better?"

 

"Yeah, but I'm still exhausted.” 

 

Tobias nods as he gets up walking over to me.  "How's your leg?"

 

I look down at my right leg.  It doesn't look any different than this morning, which I guess is good.  It's still very black though.  "Okay, I guess.  I still don't really notice it."

 

He just shakes his head.  "Mind if I take a shower?"

 

"Nope," I answer.  He kisses the top of my head and goes into the bathroom.

 

I'm trying to decide what to wear to bed when I see Tobias' t-shirt.  On a whim I grab it, sliding it over my head.  The shirt feels like an embrace as it encases me in his smell.  I put on some underwear and climb into bed.  I'm barely awake when I feel Tobias slide into bed next to me.  I think I hear him mumble "Night" before I'm out.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

"What the hell is this?!"

 

Ugh!  Who is yelling?  I squint my eyes open and see Caleb standing in my bedroom.  _Just fucking great!_

 

I feel Tobias stiffen, so I know he is awake.  "We didn't consider Caleb barging in when we discussed where to stay," I whisper to Tobias.  I feel him slightly nod against me.

 

I untangle myself from Tobias enough to sit up.  "Why are you in my bedroom, Caleb?"

 

"Why is HE in your bed?" Caleb shouts back.

 

Okay, that's it.  I've had enough.  "Caleb, quit yelling.  I can do whatever the hell I want.  I'm 22.  I've been on my own for a couple of years.  You DO NOT get to tell me what to do!"

 

Caleb takes a step backwards as my words hit him.  He petulantly responds, "I don't like it."

 

I swing the covers out of the way and march right up to Caleb.  Poking him in the chest, I slowly tell him, making sure to enunciate each syllable, "It's not your choice.  It's mine."

 

"But, but-"

 

"No buts, Caleb.  Out now," I demand pointing the way out of my room.  "I'll be over to the house in a while."

 

Caleb turns around and leaves, slamming the front door.  When I hear the door close, I release a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding.  Tobias wraps his arms around me so I lean back into his chest.

 

"Well that was fun," he mumbles.  "Do you think he's going to tell your grandparents?"

 

I snort.  "Oh yeah!  He probably already has.”  Turning in his arms, I put my arms around his shoulders.  "I'm sorry about this."

 

Tobias leans his forehead against mine.  "It isn't your fault.  I can deal with anything that comes up."

 

Sighing, I say, "I better head over there before he has a complete meltdown.”  Tobias kisses me on the tip of my nose before I release him to get dressed.  I brush my teeth and my hair and when I leave the bathroom I'm surprised with a cup of coffee from Tobias.  "Thank you."

 

I notice that Tobias is also dressed.  "Are you heading home?"

 

"No.  I'll head up to the house.  I need to talk to Sally and Jack about Cisco anyway."

 

Turning to face Tobias, I look into his eyes.  I don't see deception but I still tell him, "You don't need to come right now.  I can deal with Caleb."

 

Laughing, he informs me, "Oh, I don't doubt that.  Your brother doesn't stand a chance, however, I'm not planning on letting you face this alone either."

 

Smiling on the inside, I keep my face neutral as I answer, "Okay."

 

We walk over to the house quietly.  I sneak glances at Tobias as I drink my coffee.  He seems relaxed and confident.  Either he's great at hiding his feelings or he really isn't worried about how my grandparents will take this.  He opens the door for me and follows me in, placing his hand on the small of my back.  I find his touch gives me the confidence to walk into the kitchen with my head up.

 

Caleb is sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at everything.  My grandma is standing with her back to us at the stove.  I'm not sure where my grandpa is.  Before I can say anything, my grandma asks, "You guys want some eggs?"

 

"Sure," I answer thinking about my grandma's voice.  She didn't sound mad.

 

I see her half turn toward us asking, "Four, what about you?"

 

I see Tobias looking from me to Caleb before he answers, "I'm fine."

 

I swear I see the hint of a smirk on her face before she turns back to the stove.  "I'll make you some.  I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet.”  Tobias just nods, knowing that he can't talk her out of it, before going and getting himself a cup of coffee.  When he turns around with his coffee, I'm surprised to see indecision on his face.  I can tell that he wants to sit at the table, but apparently he isn't sure about sitting next to Caleb.

 

Caleb is making no effort to hide his anger at Tobias as my grandpa walks in.  He nods to everyone and tops off his coffee.  Sitting down next to Caleb, he looks at Tobias.  "John decided that he'll pick up Cisco around noon today.  I was wondering if you could help getting him loaded."

 

"Of course.  I'll just putter on some stuff around the barn and wait for him."

 

Caleb snorts and I've had enough.  "Caleb, living room NOW!"  I don't even wait for him to answer, but walk out of the kitchen.  Caleb finally joins me and I lay into him.  "Nothing happened last night, Caleb!"

 

"Then why were you wearing his shirt?"

 

"It's comfortable."

 

"And, you two were way too relaxed with each other.  I know that wasn't the first time you were together."

 

"Caleb, enough!  I've already told you, this is MY life, not yours.  You DO NOT get to decide how I live it.” 

 

Standing there watching him look at me with disappointment, I find myself getting madder and madder.  Caleb opens his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off.  "Close your damn mouth, Caleb.  You have nothing to say about this.”  I continue to glare at him until he will no longer meet my eyes.  Grunting I turn around and head back into the kitchen.

 

When I enter the kitchen, I see Tobias staring at the food on his plate, my grandpa flipping through a magazine, and my grandma's sparkling eyes over the lip of her coffee cup.  I didn't consider that everyone would be able to hear us.  Now I want to crawl into a hole and hide.

 

"Here's your plate, sweetheart," my grandma says while handing me a plate.

 

"Thank you."

 

I sit down, flicking my eyes to Tobias.  He meets my eyes briefly and I see a smile ghost across his face.  _And to think, I begged Caleb to come here._

 

**-Four POV-**

To say that this morning was awkward would be an understatement.  The last thing I ever considered was Tris' brother catching us.  I find myself smiling when I think of Tris laying into him.  I need to remind myself that I never want Tris mad at me.  _She's scary._

 

Once I was done eating breakfast, I was able to excuse myself to the barn.  It's about 11:15 so I'll just hang around until John shows up for Cisco.  I double check all of the horses and then find small jobs to keep myself busy.  I'm working on a broken latch when I hear Jack walk up behind me.  He doesn't say anything so I keep working.  Once I have the latch repaired I straighten up and look at him.  Neither he nor Sally said anything to me this morning, so I'm fully expecting something.  I just hope I'm not about to get a beat down from a 67 year old man who just had hip surgery.

 

Jack finally breaks the silence, "So how long has this been going on?"

 

I rub the back of my neck as I answer, "About six weeks."

 

Jack laughs at that.  "Damn, boy.  Did you let her unpack first?"  I open my mouth to answer, but he holds up a hand, stopping me.  "I know Tris is old enough to decide for herself what she wants to do.  However, she is my granddaughter.  I don't want to see her hurt."

 

"I would never," I pause.  "I will never do anything to hurt Tris.  Anyway, I think out of the two of us, I'm the one that's going to end up broken."

 

Jack looks me over then scratches his jaw as if in thought.  Finally he says, "Well, don't give up on her.  Tris redefines stubborn.”  He snorts a little, "She actually reminds me a lot of Sally, but Tris doesn't always see what she wants."

 

Before Jack and I can talk anymore, Rusty starts barking.  We see that John has arrived to get Cisco.  We discuss general details of Cisco's training before John and Jack head to the house to complete the paperwork and I get Cisco and load him in the trailer.  I'm closing the trailer up when Jack and John walk up.  John shakes our hands and heads out.  I turn to go put away my tools when Jack stops me.

 

"Four, thank you for the extra time and effort you put into training Cisco.  While Tris may have ridden him in competition, I know that you're the reason that we were able to sell him for the amount we did.  Thank you, son."

 

**-Tris POV-**

After finishing breakfast, I went back to my apartment.  I swear if I had stayed in that kitchen much longer, my teeth would be worn down from grinding them together.  _I can't believe Caleb!_   What right does he think he has to tell me what to do?  Maybe I should do some yoga?  Nah.  Punching or shooting something sounds better.  Knowing those aren't an option, I decide to wash clothes and do some chores to get my mind off Caleb.

 

When I remember it, I call Frank.  He asks me to come by his office at 1:00 pm tomorrow so he can show me around.  He then gives me the basic hours that he'll need me this week.  I thank him again before hanging up with a smile.  I never would have thought that my first job as a nurse would be out here.

 

Monday morning, I see Caleb off.  I try to be civil, but I still want to wring his judgmental neck.  Actually, his _hypocritical_ , judgmental neck since I know he has a girlfriend.  On Monday afternoon, Frank shows me around the office and explains what he needs me to do.  The afternoon goes quickly and I have to say I love it.  Tuesday goes much the same way except that I start at 9:00 am.  There are a couple of appointments before lunch.  I was planning on heading the diner to get something, but Frank's wife stopped by at lunch and brought all of us something to eat.  I really enjoy our lunch and love talking with both of them.  When Frank's 1:00 pm appointment shows up, we clean up lunch and get back to work.

 

I'm getting ready to leave for the day when Frank stops me.  "Hey, Tris.  I was wondering if you would be willing to work fulltime until Betty is back?  You've been great the last two days and my patients have been raving about you.  It would be 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Thursday and then every other Saturday."

 

I don't even need to think about it.  "Of course.  Thank you, Frank.  I guess I'll see you at 8:00 tomorrow morning.

 

**-Four POV-**

With Tris working fulltime, she needs to be in town by 7:45 to help open the office.  We talked about it and decided that I would just stay at her place during the week.  I can get ready there and when I'm ready to walk out at 6:00 am to feed, I wake her up.  I don't see her again until I've finished the evening feeding.  I miss the extra time that we were spending together each day getting ready for the rodeo, but this new normal is very enjoyable too.  I know she is loving this job, so it's all worth it.

 

Thursday evening, I finish feeding and head up to Tris' apartment.  Walking in, I see her sitting on the couch.  Hearing me, she looks up and smiles.  "Hey, how was your day?"

 

Plopping down on the couch next to her, I tell her, "Good.  We were able to sell another of the three year olds today.”  My nose catches the scent of food and I turn toward the kitchen.

 

Tris sees me sniffing and my curious glance.  "I didn't feel like cooking today, so I brought home a pizza.  I hope that is okay."

 

Turning back to her, I kiss her cheek before replying, "Sounds great.  I'm starving.”  I get up and get two plates.  Putting two pieces of pizza on each plate, I grab two beers out of the fridge and take everything back to the couch.  I set the food on the coffee table and hand Tris a beer.

 

"Thank you," Tris tells me smiling.  "Do you want a movie?"

 

"Sure," I answer after I take a bite of the pizza.  We quickly decide on a movie and cuddle together on the couch.

 

We're laying on the couch, tangled together, watching the movie when all of a sudden, I find myself falling.  "Oops," I hear Tris giggle as my butt hits the ground.  I'm laying flat on my back now looking up at the couch, when I see Tris peek over the edge of the cushion.  "What are you doing down there?" she sweetly asks.

 

I try and fail to keep a smile off my face as I tell her, "I don't know.  I was comfortable on the couch and then I was on the ground."

 

Tris giggles again as she tells me, "You should be more careful."

 

"Yeah," I begin to tell her as I reach out and quickly pull her on top of me.  "I guess I should.”  Tris yells as I pull her off the couch and now she is trying to pull away.  I hold her to me before I slowly begin to tickle her sides.

 

"No," she shrieks and laughs.  "Let... me... go...," Tris continues between laughs.  I stop tickling her, but don't let her up.  Tris realizes that she can breathe and looks at me with a twinkle in her eye.  "Aren't you going to let me up?"

 

"Nope.  Someone kicked me off the couch and I got lonely on the floor," I begin.  Looking at Tris straddling me, tickling is now the last thing on my mind.  I sit up, facing her, and kiss her.  The kiss starts slowly, but builds to a raging inferno.  I feel her hands slide up my sides to my neck.  Tris starts to unbutton my shirt so I reach down and slide my hands under her scrubs.  Before my hands do more than settle on her taut stomach, I grab the bottom of her shirt and pull it off.  Tris' hands lightly graze my now exposed chest then run up over my shoulders so I quickly pull my shirt the rest of the way off. 

 

Our lips find their mate again as our hands begin to wander.  I feel her hands on my bare back and slide my own along her sides and her abdomen. I feel her shiver beneath me causing me to smile as I kiss her neck.  The soft noises she makes as well as her hands clutching me spur me on.

 

As I nuzzle her ear, I whisper, 'Let's get up.”  I help her stand, then stand next to her.  Before she can move away from me, I pull her to me.  I nibble on her bottom lip before plunging my tongue deeply in her mouth.  Our tongues tangle as my passion raises and my hands run up and down her body before finding her breasts.  I feel her nipples harden under the lace of her bra.  Sliding the lace out of the way, I dip my head and suckle on the hard nub.  She gasps and moans, then pulls my mouth back to hers.  I grind my hard length against her and am rewarded with a deep moan.

 

My fingers quickly unbutton her pants then we work together to pull the cloth free.  Before I can do anything, Tris reaches over and unbuttons my pants.  She then unzips them and rubs her hand against me.  I drop my forehead to her shoulder and moan at the feeling she evokes.  Wanting more, I quickly rid myself of my pants and briefs.  Free from clothes, I turn and sit down on the couch, pulling Tris toward me.  Before she joins me though, she slowly, carefully, removes her bra and underwear.  When she's done, she stands in front of me bare.  I can't help but rake my eyes up and down her body.

 

"Come here," I urge.  She slowly moves to straddle me.  I feel her breasts slide against my chest and my erection press between us.  I'm overtaken with the need to kiss and touch her everywhere.  I move from her mouth to her neck.  I grab hold of her hands, twisting her fingers with mine.  I pull my hands behind her back, drawing her hands too.  I lean her back a little which brings her breasts to the forefront.  As I love her wonderful breasts Tris moans and pushes back against my mouth.

 

Letting her hands loose, I support her back with one hand and run the other hand to the apex of her thighs.  As my fingers run through her wet folds, I hear her mutter, "Oh, God."

 

"You're so wet for me," I roughly say.

 

Tris fixes her eyes on me then grabs my neck with her hands.  Pulling my head to her mouth she softly says, "Only for you," before kissing me slowly, softly.  Tris breaks the kiss and rises up on her knees.  Grabbing my length, she moves me to her center, then slowly lowers herself until I'm fully buried within her.

 

"Tris," I gruffly say.  "God, you're so tight.  So hot.  So perfect," I eek out before my speech center shuts down.  As she surrounds me, both physically and mentally, all I can think is 'I'm home.'

 

Tris places her hands on my shoulders, then begins to lift herself before sliding back down my hard length.  I surge up as she slides down.  My hands move to her breasts to massage and fondle them as they bounce.  Soon Tris' rhythm speeds up and I move my hands to her hips to help her rise then slam back home.

 

I looking at this sexy woman on my lap, I'm overcome with emotion that I can only show through my actions.  I'm so deep inside her that the sensation is indescribable.  I lean forward and capture her mouth.

 

I feel her insides start to flutter and her moans change.  I know she is getting close.  Nibbling on her neck, then ear, I then whisper, "Come for me.”  She spasms around me, yelling in ecstasy.  I bite my lip and through nothing short of sheer willpower hold out.  I feel her fingers dig into my shoulders as she rides out her orgasm.  The look of pleasure, the flush on her face, the slight sheen of sweat, her messed up hair, she's perfection.

 

Once Tris regains some motor control, I tell her to hang on.  Picking her up, both hands on her ass while I'm still buried deep inside her, I carry her to the bedroom.  I carefully lower us to the bed where I proceed to pull all of the way out then thrust back into her.

 

"God!" she cries as I sink into her.  As I repeat, time and time again, her words get louder and more frantic.  Each time I sink into her, I feel every ridge and ripple.  My mind flashes back quickly to sex with a condom and I realize there is no comparison.  With her, here, now, this is perfect.

 

I slide an arm under her lower back, pulling her closer to me and changing the angle that we meet.  I groan at the change while I hear her gasp, "Fuck... right there.”  Leaning forward, I keep moving.  Each thrust drags our bodies across each other.  I know I won't last much longer, but I want to make her come one more time.

 

Reaching for her, I rub her clit, hoping that I can hold on.  "I'm so close… Damnit…"  Then I'm there.  I grab her with both hands as my thrusts become uncontrollable, urgent, hard, and fast.  As I keep thrusting, hoping to get her there one more time, I feel her orgasm hit.  We each keep moving, riding out the ecstasy.

 

At the last spasm of my orgasm, I can no longer hold myself up and I collapse on top of Tris.  I have never come so hard in my life.  We are both gasping, dragging in as much air into our lungs as possible.  I am finally able to lift my head and give her a quick kiss before I begin to roll off.  "No.  Don't," she mumbles as she clutches her arms and even one leg around me.

 

"Tris, trust me.  I want to stay exactly where I am, but I'm heavy.  I have to be crushing you."

 

She shakes her head.  "No.  Stay," she implores tightening her arms and unbelievably tightening inside too.  "Jesus," I gasp.  I knew I was sensitive, but I was not expecting _that_.

 

She kisses my sweaty neck, nuzzling into me.  Finally, she loosens her arms and seems resigned to my moving.  I pull out and roll off of her.  Seeing her shiver, I pull the sheet and blankets up over us.  I wrap an arm around her and ask, "Do you want me to bring you a towel?"

 

I feel her shake her head them mummer, "No, I'm going to get up.  I want to get something to drink too."

 

After we're both done cleaning up and getting ready for bed, I pull her against me and whisper, "Goodnight.” 

 

"Night," Tris softly mutters as she trails off in sleep.

 

I wake up in the middle of the night and take in my surroundings.  I'm tangled up with Tris, in her bed.  As my mind tends to lately, I think about Tris.  Well, Tris and me.  I couldn't have stayed away from her if I'd tried, but I'm also not sure that agreeing to her conditions were the right thing to do.  I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with her.  And I have absolutely no clue what to do about it.  Laying there in the dark, I hope for sleep to reclaim me.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Saturday night we decided to just hang at my house and watch movies.  I find I'm not really paying attention to the movie.  The thoughts that woke me up the other night keep invading my thoughts.  I feel like I need to tell Tris, but how? 

 

I'm laying down with my back against the back of the couch and Tris is laying against my chest.  As the final credits for the movie are rolling, I pull Tris closer to me and kiss the back of her head.  "Tris, I have to tell you.  I think I'm falling in love with you."

 

She sits up quickly, my arms dropping off of her.  "No.  You can't think that," she mutters with her head hanging down.

 

"What do you want me to do?" I query, scowling.

 

"I don't know.  I'm leaving soon.”  She doesn't look up.  She won't look me in the eyes.

 

"We can make this work, even if it is long distance.  Wherever you end up, I can always look for work there."

 

That makes her lift her head!  "Oh, great!  Yeah, just do that!  That would be great for my grandparents!" she shouts as she stands up.  Tris starts to pace back and forth.  Finally she stops and looks at me.  "I can't do this anymore.”  Before I can say anything she's raced for the door and left. 


	15. The Ending of the Beginning

**-Tris POV-**

(Tuesday)

I've done everything I can to avoid Tobias for the last two days.  Just staying away from him was bad enough, but apparently I've gotten used to sharing a bed with him.  The last two nights, I have barely slept.  I keep tossing and turning, not being able to get comfortable.  This whole thing with Tobias wasn't supposed to mean anything!  Nothing!  It was supposed to just be a way to pass the summer with people that I like.

 

Feeling hungry, I start pulling out things to cook dinner, when I hear the front door open.  I look up and see my grandma standing there with tears rolling down her face.  I jump up and hug her.  "Grandma, what happened?  What's wrong?"

 

"Jack never made it home.  They found the truck up against the fence, just off the road.  He had a massive heart attack.  He was gone before anyone found him."

 

 _No, no, no!  This can't be happening._ My grandpa can't be gone.  Grandma and I both sink down to the couch holding each other.  Each lost in our own thoughts.

 

I don't know how long we stayed holding each other, crying on the couch, but after a while, we pull apart.  My grandma stands up, smoothing her shirt.  She looks at me and smiles.  "I'll be in the house if you need me.”  I nod and watch her slowly walk away.

 

I sit in my apartment feeling so alone.  I'm not sure what I should do.  I'm not even sure how I should feel since I'm numb.  I remain on the couch, staring off into nothingness with random thoughts bouncing around in my head.  I am pulled back to reality when I hear a knock on the door.  I am still trying to gather the strength to stand up when I hear the door open.  "Tris?"

 

I look up and see Tobias standing in front of me.  "Oh, Tris.”  He sits down next to me and pulls me into his arms.  I rest my head on his chest as he gently rocks me back and forth.  "I came over as soon as I heard.  I am so sorry.  Jack was one of a kind.  I owe him a lot."

 

As I sit in Tobias' embrace, he begins to tell me stories about my grandpa.  He explains how my grandpa taught him to ride and even to shoot.  Tobias explains that this all happened before he even worked here.  My grandpa was just there for him when no one else was.  Since Tobias was here so often, he began to help out doing chores and little jobs.  Finally, my grandparents began to pay him for the work.  Tobias chuckles slightly when he reminisces about only cashing their checks when he was broke and needed to gas up his truck or fix something at the house.  Otherwise, he would just put the checks in a drawer and forget about them.  He explains how it drove my grandparents nuts that he wouldn't deposit all of the checks. 

 

As his voice drifts off, I glance up at him and I'm surprised to see silent tears slowly rolling down his face.  We just sit there holding each other, stuck in our own thoughts.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

(Wednesday)

I wake up stiff and cold on my couch.  I'm still leaning against Tobias who I can tell is still asleep.  I'm still not able to deal with my emotions surrounding Tobias, but I'm very thankful to have had my friend yesterday.

 

As I shift forward and try to extricate myself from Tobias without waking him, I hear him groan in disapproval.  Before I can try to get up, his arm wrap tighter around me, pulling me back to his chest.  "Don't go," he mumbles.

 

"I need to get up, Tobias."

 

"Uh huh."

 

Patting his arm, I begin to move it so I can sit up.  "I need to pee and you need to go feed."

 

At that, I see him crack an eye open.  "What time is it?"

 

I glance at the microwave.  "7:30.  Everyone will be hungry."

 

Nodding he lets me go.  I half run to the bathroom to relieve myself.  When I exit the bathroom, I see Tobias sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, arms resting on his knees.  Not knowing what to say, I just head over and begin making coffee.  As I hit the on switch, I hear the bathroom door close.  I find my favorite coffee cup and then dig out a travel cup while I wait for the dark elixir to brew.

 

I'm leaning against the counter, staring at the dripping liquid, when I hear the bathroom door open.  I glance up and see Tobias studying me as he walks closer.  As he reaches up to place a piece of my hair behind my ear he asks, "Are you okay?"

 

"Yes... no...," I sigh.  "I don't know.  My brain is still trying to make sense of everything.  I almost feel like it is a dream and I'll see him if I walk into the house."

 

Tobias just nods before he envelops me in a hug.  As we release each other, he tips my chin up so I'm looking in his eyes.  "Hey, just remember, before anything else, you are my friend.  If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know."

 

Tobias keeps a hold of my chin until I acknowledge what he has said.  He then hugs me again  and kisses my temple before walking toward the door.  I reach for the coffee pot and begin filling the travel mug.  I stop him before he gets to the door with a quick, "Tobias, coffee."

 

He turns back to me as I offer the cup to him.  Smiling he says "Thanks" before he leaves.  Once he is gone, the total silence inside my apartment begins to crush me.  Sometime later, I find that I am still leaning against the kitchen counter.  I grab my coffee cup and take a deep drink.  Cold.  How long was I standing here?

 

I try to get it together and go take a shower.  Once I'm dressed, I head over to the house.  My grandma is sitting at the kitchen table staring off into space.  I walk up to her and kiss her cheek.  She brings a hand up and hugs me to her.  We stay like that for a while until I stand up and get a cup of coffee.  Sitting down next to her, I let my thoughts drift to my grandpa again.

 

"I assume that you called mom?"

 

Grandma nods, "Yeah, last night.  They should be here this afternoon."

 

Silence descends upon us as we both drink our coffee.  I finish my cup and get up to refill it.  As I sit down, my grandma begins to tell me stories about my grandpa.  Stories from when they were dating, stories from when my mom was little, stories of their life together.  At one point, I get up and make us some lunch, but the stories continue.  Sometimes there are pauses between the stories and other times they run together to the point that I have a hard time telling where one ended and another began.  I feel so sad, but at the same time, I am enjoying hearing these stories, of seeing the love that they shared reflected in my grandma's eyes.  We are still at the kitchen table when my mom and dad come in.

 

When Grandma sees my mom, she stops talking mid-word and simply jumps up to wrap her in a hug.  They hang on each other, sharing their loss.  I'm so caught up in watching them that I don't even notice my dad standing next to me until he asks, "How are you doing?"

 

Giving him a half smile and a shrug, I tell him the truth.  "I don't know.  It's a lot to take in.”  He wraps his arm around my shoulders to let me know that he's there for me.

 

We are all broken out of our spell when there is a knock on the backdoor.  I glance at Grandma and see her tear streaked face.  Knowing that she doesn't want to open the door, I head over to see who it is.  When I open the door, I'm not surprised to see Tobias talking with the person at the door.  They both turn to me when I clear my throat. 

 

The man with Tobias gives me a little smile before saying, "Tris, I'm sorry to meet you like this, but I'm James Tobert.  I live in the next valley to the south.  I heard about Jack this morning and wanted to drop in to check on Sally.”  He then sheepishly glances at Tobias.  "I'm not saying that you two wouldn't be taking care of her, it's just I ...”  He clears his throat.  "Well, I've known Jack and Sally my whole life."

 

I smile in understanding before stepping to the side and indicating the he should enter the house.  As James goes inside, I glance at Tobias.  "Are you coming in too?"

 

Tobias seems unsure for a moment and then responds, "Yeah.  I want to ask Sally what she wants.  Word is getting out and people are going to start showing up.  I need to know if she wants me to let them in or turn them away."

 

I step closer to him and rising up on my toes, kiss his cheek.  Surprise flashes across his face at my action, but before he can respond, I explain, "Thank you.  I know you are grieving too, but last night you comforted me and now you are watching out for my grandma.  Thank you.” 

 

I can see different thoughts flitting across his eyes before he nods and follows me into the house.  As we enter the kitchen, I see Grandma, James, and Dad sitting at the table and my mom making another pot of coffee.  Everyone looks up at us as we walk in.  Tobias walks over next to my grandma and squats down next to her chair.  Nodding toward James, Tobias explains, "Word is out in town about what happened.  Do you want company or should I tell people to come back another time?"

 

Grandma pats Tobias' hand that is sitting on the table.  "Let them come," she answers.  Tobias begins to stand up when she moves her hand from his to his cheek.  "When you are done with the evening feeding, I expect you back here.”  I can see her holding his eyes until he slowly nods.  With that, she removes her hand and he stands up.

 

I’m surprised when, instead of leaving, he walks over and digs into the 'junk' drawer.  He pulls out a roll of packing tape and then heads into my grandparent's office.  A second later he comes out with a sheet of paper.  Taking both items he leaves.  Curiosity gets the better of me, so I follow him outside.  When I open the door, I see that he has placed a sign on the door: 'If you made it past Rusty, don't knock, just come in.'  Even with everything that has happened in the past couple of days, this makes me laugh.  I turn to see Tobias.  He had stopped walking toward the barn when he heard me laugh.  He smiles then says, "You guys don't need to be jumping up to answer the door.  Plus Rusty will only let friends in.  Anyone else will sit in their cars and honk.”  I just nod at him thinking again how sweet he has been.

 

Afternoon made way to evening.  People stopped by at an alarming rate.  Most honked because Rusty wouldn't let them out of their cars.  Everyone brought food.  I thought that only happened in books and movies.  However, when the whole situation turned over in my head again, I realized that the food was really, really nice.  No one in my family felt like cooking and without the food that people brought over, we probably would just live off of coffee for the next couple of days.

 

Caleb made it at about 7:30.  I know we didn't leave things the best between us, but that was all forgotten as soon as he walked into the kitchen.  I didn't even hesitate before throwing my arms around him. 

 

At some point I guess I just passed out.  Tobias woke me up on my grandma's couch, trying to get me to go to bed.  I nodded as I tried to stand.  He steadied me and then went and found Caleb.  As I was stumbling toward the backdoor, Caleb came up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.  "Come on, sis.  Let's get you to bed."

 

As we walked to the apartment, Caleb broke the silence.  "Not that I'm complaining, but why am I taking you to bed instead of your boy toy?"

 

"Um, I..., I told him I couldn't do that anymore."

 

Caleb looks at me in surprise.  "Why not?  I may be an overprotective brother and hate the idea of you with any man, but it was apparent to anyone that he adores you.  I would also hazard a guess based upon the ass chewing that you gave me that you really like him too."

 

Opening the apartment door, I sigh.  We both sit on the couch and I realize that he isn't going to leave this alone until I give him an answer.  "He told me that he thinks he loves me and I left.”  My voice had dropped to almost a whisper when I finish the sentence, making me acknowledge that I wasn't proud about what I did.

 

Caleb slaps a hand across his face.  "Let me get this right.  Someone you have been seeing for a while, who you like mind you, tells you he loves you, and you run away?"

 

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds horrible," I mutter.

 

"It's not good," Caleb counters.

 

"Grandpa just died.  My love life doesn't matter."

 

"Actually," Caleb corrects.  "That is exactly why it matters.  Life is too short.  You need to figure out what you want."

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

(Thursday)

Thursday is much like Wednesday.  People keep dropping by to extend their condolences.  My mom and dad head into town to arrange everything for the funeral tomorrow.  Caleb had said he was going to walk around outside, so it just left me and Grandma in the kitchen.  I make us both some lunch and we begin to eat.

 

"Tris, I need to tell you something.”  Grandma reaches over and takes my hand.  "We had always planned on leaving the ranch to you.  It has been laid out that way in our wills for years.” 

 

I start crying and shake my head.  After the last couple of days, I thought I had gotten all of my tears out, but this just opened the floodgates again.  "Why me?" I whimper.

 

"Oh, child.  Your mother decided to give up being on the ranch when she met your father.  He won't consider living out here and she loves him more than she loves the ranch.  We both know that your brother would never stay here.  But, you?  You belong here.  You were born to be here."

 

"But, but," I stutter.  "This is your place.  You have invested everything into it."

 

"I asked you to come this summer hoping that you would want to stay.  I never planned on your grandfather passing, but we wanted you here.  We wanted you to find a home here.  And, if I'm not mistaken, I think you have found more than a home.”  I look at her questioningly.  "Tris, it's easy to see that Tobias loves you.  He fell fast and he fell hard."

 

"I don't know what to do."

 

Grandma wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.  "It's completely up to you on how and where you live your life.  But, make the decision based upon what YOU want, not what others want for you.”  As she releases the hug, she continues, "Just know that you can stay here as long as you want."

 

I nod, thinking about what she has said, as we finish our lunch in silence.  Soon Caleb returns and more people from town stop by.  Thinking back on it, I'm amazed that Grandma found a quiet moment with just the two of us to talk to me.  For the rest of the day I’m torn between thoughts of what I want, the ranch, my grandpa, my grandma, and even Tobias.  Even though tomorrow will be the funeral, I think I am thankful when sleep takes me away from the thoughts running through my head.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

(Friday)

The funeral was nice.  Good.  _Great_ as far as funerals go.  I think everyone from town showed up.  Dad and Tobias were two of the pall bearers.  They laid him in the grave just as the sun rose over the nearby trees.  If it wasn't so goddamn horrible, it would have been beautiful.  After the funeral, friends and family met at the ranch.  People brought even more food so we ate and shared stories about my grandpa.  I remember Tobias, Zeke, and Shauna hugging me and talking at some point, but everything is a blur.  Everyone finally left by 1:00 pm so Mom, Dad, Caleb, and I cleaned everything up.

 

Later that afternoon I'm sitting on the porch, thinking.  What do I want?  Why is such a simple question so hard to answer?  I'm so deep in thought, that I don't notice my mom come up next to me.

 

"Honey, how are you doing?"

 

I sniffle and smile at her.  "Mom, I should be asking you that."

 

She sits down next to me and wraps her arms around me.  "I wasn't asking about losing Grandpa.  I meant everything else.  Mom told me that she talked to you about the ranch."

 

I nod.  "I don't know what to do.  Why would they leave me the ranch?"

 

My mom looks at me and smiles.  "You were always dauntless.  I could see it in you growing up.  I knew that you would end up at the ranch one day.  Your father never wanted to see it.  He thought if he could keep you away from the ranch, you wouldn't want to be here.  That was part of the reason that he supported your show jumping.  He assumed that if you were showing English, that you wouldn't want to be out on a ranch, raising horses and cattle.  But, just because he wanted to ignore it, doesn't mean that it wasn't there."

 

"I just don't know what to do."

 

"You don't need to make any decisions right now.  Mom's not going anywhere and neither is the ranch.  However," my mom says nodding toward Tobias where we can see him feeding the horses, "that man right there would move heaven and earth for you.  You can't take that for granted.  That's a gift that should be treasured."

 

After my mom leaves, I head inside and grab a bottle of beer.  I sit on the couch staring at the cold TV.  I'm not sure how long I've been sitting there when my phone rings and I see it's Frank.  I haven't been in to work since I heard about my grandpa.

 

"Hey, Frank."

 

"Tris, how are you doing?"

 

"Okay, I guess," I reply sighing.  "I'm sorry I left you in the lurch.  I can come in tomorrow if you need it."

 

"Um, yeah, I could use you tomorrow, but that's not why I called.  I know you probably don't want to consider this at the moment, but I need to ask you something."

 

"Sure, Frank.  What do you need?"

 

"Betty contacted me today.  She doesn't want to come back to work.  She wants to stay in San Francisco and be a grandma.  So, what I'd like to ask you, is whether you would consider staying on as my nurse?  Since this would be a permanent job, we would need to sit down and discuss your salary.  I can't manage what you would get paid in a large town, but I'm willing to show you my books so you know I'm offering a fair share of what the practice makes."

 

"Wow.  Frank, this is a huge decision.  I need some time to think it over."

 

"That's fine, Tris.  I expected as much.  Tell you what.  Come to work tomorrow.  Between patients we'll sit down and go over the finances to show what I can offer.  If you can give me an answer on Monday, I'd appreciate it."

 

"That sounds good.  I'll see you tomorrow."

 

 

**-Four POV-**

(Sunday)

I plop down on Zeke's couch.  "Well this has been a hell of a week," I say before taking a long drag on my beer.

 

Zeke sits next to me.  He's nodding as he replies, "Yeah, you could say that.  I still can't believe about Jack.  So do you know what Tris has decided?"

 

I look at him in question.  "What do you mean what Tris has decided?"

 

"Don't you know?  Do you guys even talk to each other or just have fuck?"

 

"Zeke," I groan out trying to remain calm.  "Except for holding her while she cried over Jack, I haven't been with Tris since late Saturday night."

 

Zeke's eyes widen in surprise and he sits up straight.  "What the hell happened?"

 

Rubbing my neck, I tell him, "I don't know.  I was talking with her about trying to make it work after she left, and she stormed out saying she couldn't do this anymore.”  I pause still trying to make sense of the whole thing.  "Either way, what were you talking about her making a decision?"

 

"Oh, Betty isn't coming back so Frank needs a new nurse.  My assumption, especially with what happened to Jack, is that he offered her the job."

 

"Zeke, how in the hell do you know about this?  Frank doesn't hang out at the bar."

 

Zeke smirks.  "I have other sources.”  I glare at him until he continues, "Mom's Betty's friend.  Betty told her about staying and said that Frank told her not to worry because he probably had someone who could start soon."

 

I sit there and bounce all of this information around in my head, quickly realizing that I can't stay here.  I need to talk to Tris.  Getting up, I walk into the kitchen and pour the rest of my beer into the sink.  "See you," I yell to Zeke as I head towards the door.

 

"Say hi to Tris for me!"

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I'm standing in front of Tris' apartment door trying to get the courage to knock.  This is stupid.  Man up!  I raise my hand and knock.  When there isn't an answer, I knock again.  "Tris, open up.  I want to talk.”  Still no answer.

 

I open the door and stick my head inside, "Tris?"  Not hearing anything, I step in and glance around.  She's not here.  I walk back outside and see her truck.  She could be in the house, but I remember Tris telling me how being around horses calms her.  With that in mind, I head down to the barn.  A soft smile crosses my face when I see her sitting on the fence to Moose's pen.  He's got his head hanging over the fence right next to her.

 

Taking a deep breath, I walk up to the corral and lean on the fence, just on the other side of Moose.  I reach up and scratch his neck, glancing at Tris out of the corner of my eye.  Red eyes and streaks on her cheeks show that she has been crying.  She turns her head toward me, but doesn't say anything.

 

"How are you doing, Tris?"  She shrugs but doesn't say anything. 

 

My heart aches seeing her in pain, but I know that I can't do anything to lift her anguish.  I wasn't expecting to see her so sad, so vulnerable.  My selfish reason for seeing her now seems irrelevant.  As I argue with myself about whether to stay or to go, Tris breaks the silence.  "What are you doing here?  It's too early to feed."

 

"I wanted to see you.”  And ask you if you're staying, but I keep that to myself.

 

Tris hops down from the fence and begins to walk away from me.  Seeing this, my heart crashes.  I'm stuck in place like a statue watching her as she stops next to the barn and slowly slides down the wall, sitting on the ground.  Looking at me in question, Tris pats the ground next to her.

 

My heart is racing a million miles per second as I walk over and sit next to her.  I lean back against the barn and will myself to calm down.  We're talking.  She didn't leave me standing here.  That's progress.

 

"Frank offered me the nursing job permanently," Tris tells me.

 

As I mentally do a happy dance, I try to control my facial expression to one of seriousness.  "Tris, is that what you want?"

 

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

 

"Because it's the only thing that matters.”  I pause thinking about how to continue.  "Does it matter if you get a great job, but you hate it?  You've told me that you haven't even applied for jobs yet, because you weren't sure where you wanted to live.”  I see her slowly nodding as my words settle in her mind.  Taking a deep breath, I plunge forward.  "In the short time you have been here, you've become my best friend.  You know me better than Zeke and I've known him my whole life.  You know all of my secrets.  I am myself when I'm with you.  I don't have to pretend."

 

She still isn't looking at me, but I can see tears building in her eyes.  As one tear spills down her cheek, I reach out and rub it away.  "Just know that I will do whatever you want.  I will follow you to the ends of the Earth or, as much as I hate it, I will let you go.  I love you."

 

Her eyes jump to mine, looking, searching.  Seeing more tears begin to spill, I place both hands on her face, cupping her jaw.  I brush away the tears and just look at her.  I don't know how much time has passed when I finally see her mouth begin to creep upwards into a crooked smile.

 

"I'll only stay if you help me move," she smirks.

 

I look at her completely confused.  "If you're staying, why are you moving?"

 

Tris just chuckles and wraps her arms around my waist.  "Because if I'm going to stay, I'm not going to continue staying part of the time at your place and part of the time at my apartment.”  As my mind races to try and figure out what she is saying, she runs a finger up my chest.  That definitely doesn't help my thinking.  Finally she leans forward and whispers in my ear, "That's assuming you're up for a roommate."

 

I pull her in for a slow, deep kiss.  When we finally part to breathe, I hear her say, "I love you, Tobias."


	16. Epilogue (aka the Ever After)

**Epilogue (aka The Happily Ever After)**

**-Tris POV-**

After our talk at the barn, Tobias and I walk back up to the ranch house hand in hand.  Walking into the kitchen still holding hands, everyone glances up at us.  My grandma and mom smile when they see our hands while Caleb cocks an eyebrow at us and my dad frowns slightly. 

 

Tobias and I each grab a cup of coffee then lean against the counter looking at everyone.  My mom breaks the quiet, "Your dad and I are heading back home tomorrow."  She then smirks a little before asking me, "Any idea when you are leaving, Tris?"

 

I see Tobias stiffen a little before I answer, "Well Four and I were just talking about that.  I plan on staying.  Grandma had told me that I could.  I think it would be good to stay and help out."

 

My dad isn't happy with this and instantly responds, "What are you going to do about your education?  About a job?  It's not like you can have a life here!"

 

Now a little pissed off, I set my coffee cup down.  Looking my dad straight in the eye, I explain, "I already have a job.  Full-time at the local doctor's office.  His nurse retired and he offered me the position."  I then pause.  Taking a deep breath, I continue, "As for a life, everything I need is here."  I turn to Tobias and grab his hand.  "Dad, you've met Four, but you didn't know that he is my boyfriend.  My best friend."

 

My dad jumps to his feet at the same time that I feel Tobias squeeze my hand.  We are looking at each other when my dad starts his rant.  "Your boyfriend?  You are just going to stay here and waste your life?  Staying with this-"

 

 _I've had enough._   Cutting my father off, I firmly tell him, "You will do well not to finish that sentence.  You don't know him.  I wonder if you even know me.  _But, know this._   If I stay or if I leave, it will be MY decision, not yours or anyone else's."  I continue to just stand face to face with my dad for a moment before I turn and walk over to my grandma.  I give her a hug and tell her, "I'm going to help Four feed and then stay at his place tonight."  I glance at my mom then continue, "I'll be back tomorrow before you leave."

 

I turn to leave and then remember one more item.  "Caleb, you are welcome to the bed in the apartment tonight.  No reason to sleep on a couch."  He smiles at me before nodding in response.  Tobias hugs my grandma before we both walk out.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

The next day went better.  I think everyone ganged up on my dad.  I was very surprised when he apologized both to me and to Tobias.  I remembered to call Frank and accept his job offer.  But the real surprise came from my grandma.  When I explained to her that I was going to move in with Tobias, she stated that she wanted to move into the apartment.  She had thought about it all week and was trying to figure out a way to tell me that she didn’t want to live in the house any more.  The ranch house held too many memories of Jack.  She then convinced me to move into the ranch house.  Or I guess convinced _us_ to move into the ranch house.  I was still adamant that I didn't want to split my time at different places to sleep, so wherever I was, I wanted Tobias to be.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

The 4th of July Rodeo the next year was a huge success.  We showed two reining horses and sold one of them that day.  However, the best part of the rodeo was what happened after I won the barrel race.  Tobias met me as I pulled Moose to a stop.  He drug me out of the saddle, kissed me, and then fell to one knee and proposed.  Needless to say, the stands roared when I said yes.

 

We had a small wedding in mid-September.  It was just my family, Frank and his wife, Shauna, Zeke, and Hana.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

I found out I was pregnant in mid-June.  I debated telling Tobias, but thought that I could keep my secret for a couple of weeks.  When I finished my barrel run at the 4th of July Rodeo, it was my turn to surprise Tobias.  Just like the last two years, after my run he pulled me out of the saddle and gave me a great big kiss.  "Folks, folks," the announcer spoke to quiet people down.  "Once again, Tris has shown us how the barrels are meant to be run.  However, she asked me to say something for her.  Since Four decided to surprise her last year, Tris wanted to surprise him this year."  Tobias looked at me quizzically while the announcer continued.  "Come next February, Four will be a dad."  Tobias looked at me stunned before he kissed me and spun me around.  Jackson Aaron Eaton, or JJ for Jack junior, was born on February 12.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Two years later, the ranch sign on the highway was changed to 'Reining and Working Quarter Horses,’ since we have been able to train a couple of quality reining horses each year.  While my grandparents had a solid reputation for producing working horses, we have been able to expand that to include reining horses.  One of our horses actually placed in the nationals last year.  Tobias is a great trainer so I'm thrilled for him to be recognized for his work.

 

Tobias and I had what was probably our biggest fight before the 4th of July Rodeo that year.  I was six months pregnant and while I wasn't comfortable performing in show jumping, I fully expected to ride in reining and in barrel racing.  Tobias didn't want me to ride at all.  It was only when I used logic to remind him that I had only ever been thrown during show jumping and trail riding.  I had also been riding the horses in training, so how was this different?  I explained that he could do all of the warm ups and that I would only ride in the arena.  When he realized that I wasn't going to back down, he reluctantly gave in.  I rubbed in my decision by winning both the reining and the barrel racing.

 

Three months later, we were both thrilled to welcome our second son, William Andrew Eaton.

 

\~\~\~\~\

 

Tobias walks into the kitchen looking worried.  "What's wrong?" I query.

 

"One of the two year olds didn't show up to get fed.  I'm going to have to go look for him."

 

"Take JJ with you."

 

I see Tobias shake his head as he responds, "No.  He's too young and I'll be fine."

 

I glance down at our daughter nursing at my breast.  "I can't go with you.  I will worry if you're by yourself and JJ will be fine.  If nothing else, he is an extra set of hands."

 

Tobias is still stubbornly shaking his head no.  "He's too young."

 

"Why is this any different than the hundreds of rides you have taken him on, including several overnight trips?  He's seven.  He can help you."

 

I watch as Tobias stops shaking his head.  His eyes rise to meet mine.  I see acceptance in them even before he tells me.  "Okay.  I'll go get the horses saddled then come back up to the house."

 

I just nod as I pull my daughter to my shoulder for a burp.  "JJ," I yell.  "Come here." 

 

Soon my tall, seven year old son, who is the spitting image of his father, walks into the kitchen.  "What's up, Mom?"

 

"I need you to ride out with your dad to look for a two year old that didn't come in tonight.  Go change into riding clothes and get your jacket too."  A huge smile crosses his face before he turns around and races out of the kitchen.  "And, don't run in the house," I laughingly yell after him.

 

With the baby fed, I lay her down and then quickly gather food that Tobias and JJ can take with them.  I'm just finishing some sandwiches when JJ proudly enters the kitchen.  He has always loved helping his dad around the ranch, but this will be the first time that he gets to go out on a rescue.  "Why don't you go see if your dad is outside?  He is coming up to the house with the horses.  I need him to bring a saddle bag in."

 

"Okay," JJ excitedly says before heading for the door.  He's almost there when I hear the door open.  "Dad, Mom needs your saddle bags."

 

"I've got them right here," Tobias answers laughing as he enters the kitchen.  He was looking down at his son, ruffling his hair, but when he looks up at me, I quirk an eyebrow in question.  "What?  I figured I'd throw some food in them."

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I'm sure that's what you thought.  Give them here."

 

Tobias hands me the saddle bags, but as I turn around to put the food in them, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me up against him.  Bending slightly, he places kisses on my neck.  "I'm taking JJ like you asked.  Why am I in trouble for bringing the saddle bags in?"

 

I snort and laugh to myself.  Turning in his arms, I give him a quick kiss then push him away from me.  I hand him the full saddle bags before saying, "I have to keep you on your toes.  Grandma taught me that."

 

Tobias starts to bend toward me again when we hear, "Mom.  Dad.  Come on.  We need to go find the missing horse."

 

Laughing, Tobias and I walk to the door.  JJ mounts his horse and then Tobias attaches the saddle bags to the back of his saddle.  Before he gets on his own horse, he comes back to me.  Gathering me in his arms, he gives me a long, loving kiss.  "This reminds me of our first time going out to find a missing horse."

 

"Yeah, it does," I answer.  "What a difference ten years makes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was posted on FanFiction. If you want to read all of the author's notes, I recommend you check it out there! Thank you for reading, whatever site you are on!


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